California Rep. Darrell Issa said Sunday that existing probes into the Obama administration’s FBI and Justice Department “could and will likely lead” to a special investigator, while fellow Republican and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested the time is now for a special counsel to lead such an investigation.
Issa, a member and former chairman of the House Oversight Committee, the chamber’s top investigative panel, made his comments to Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” after Attorney General Jeff Sessions said last week he would not immediately appoint a new special counsel to investigate Republican concerns involving the FBI and Justice Department.
Sessions instead directed U.S. attorney John W. Huber, a senior federal prosecutor from Utah, to evaluate “certain issues” including whether a special counsel appointment was necessary.
The attorney general’s announcement Thursday came one day after the Justice Department’s internal watchdog said it would examine the Republican complaints of FBI misconduct in the early stages of the Russia investigation, which has been led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
That watchdog investigation, led by Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz, was requested by Sessions and congressional Republicans.
They have been urging the inspector general’s office to review whether FBI and Justice Department officials abused their surveillance powers in using information from the controversial anti-Trump dossier, compiled by a former British spy and funded by Democrats, as part of the basis to justify monitoring a former campaign adviser to President Trump.
(File)
Issa said Sunday that second-guessing Session’s decision would be “easy.” However, he said getting Huber and Horowitz involved gave such probes credibility and showed they were “looking for truth.”
He also…
