Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Friday released additional documents and transcripts related to his committee’s investigation into the origins and aftermath of the Trump-Russia probe, calling Crossfire Hurricane “one of the most incompetent and corrupt investigations in the history of the FBI and DOJ.”
Senator Graham released transcripts of interviews with FBI and Justice Department officials conducted by the committee, between March 3, 2020 and October 29, 2020.
In a statement on Friday, Senator Graham said, “I consider the Crossfire Hurricane investigation a massive system failure by senior leadership, but not representative of the dedicated, hardworking patriots who protect our nation every day at Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice. … We have released as much material as possible, but some classified material has still been withheld.”
“I believe that Crossfire Hurricane was one of the most incompetent and corrupt investigations in the history of the FBI and DOJ,” he said, while noting that he “appreciates all those who participated in the depositions and their candor. “They have charted a path to allow us to reform the system.”
“The FISA court was lied to. Exculpatory information was withheld on those being investigated. The investigators, with some notable exceptions, were incredibly biased and used the powers of law enforcement for political purposes,” Graham stated. “The subjects of the investigation had their lives turned upside down. It is my hope that counterintelligence investigations will be reined in and this never happens again in America.”
The South Carolina Senator also condemned the leadership of the FBI under former Director James Comey and former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, saying it “was either grossly incompetent or they knowingly allowed tremendous misdeeds.” Continued Below
“There was a blind eye turned toward any explanation other than the Trump campaign was colluding with foreign powers,” Senator Graham continued. “At every turn the FBI and DOJ ran stop signs that were in abundance regarding exculpatory information.”
He also slammed slammed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page as “a travesty,” noting that former DOJ officials who signed those warrants, like former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, “have acknowledged that if they knew then what they know now, they would not have signed it.”
“It is hard to believe that the senior officials at the FBI did not know that the Steele Dossier had been disavowed by the Russian sub-source. It is equally hard to believe that the warnings from the CIA and other agencies about the reliability of Christopher Steele and the dossier were not known to senior leadership. It is my hope that the Durham report will hold those accountable for the travesty called Crossfire Hurricane,” Graham said. Continued Below
“There was no ‘there’ there. The investigation was pushed when it should have been stopped and the only logical explanation is that the investigators wanted an outcome because of their bias,” he said.
“Former FBI Director Comey and his deputy Mr. McCabe, through their incompetence and bias, have done a great disservice to the FBI and DOJ, and the senior DOJ leadership who signed off on the work product called the Crossfire Hurricane investigation have created a stain on the department’s reputation that can only be erased by true reform. I hope that the media will look closely at what happened and examine these documents, but I am not holding my breath,” the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman continued.
“It is hard to believe that something like Crossfire Hurricane could have happened in America. The bottom line is that going forward we must have more checks and balances when it comes to political investigations. We must have more meaningful sign-offs on warrant applications, and we need to restore the trust to the American people in this system,” he added. Continued Below
Robert Mueller’s investigation concluded there was no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 election.
Meanwhile, former Attorney General Bill Barr tapped U.S. Attorney from Connecticut John Durham as special counsel to ensure he could continue his investigation into the origins of the Russia probe.
Transcripts of the released interviews can be read HERE.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by @LindseyGrahamSC, today released transcripts of interviews conducted during its inquiry into the origins and aftermath of the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation.
— Senate Judiciary (@senjudiciary) January 15, 2021
Read the 11 transcripts here: https://t.co/uYohc6JrjA
— Senate Judiciary (@senjudiciary) January 15, 2021
(Related: Lou Dobbs: “President Trump Is Declassifying Top Secret Documents All Related To Obama-Gate”
