Doug Jones on IG Report: ‘There Was Fault’ with FISA Process but AG Barr ‘Has Gone a Little Bit Too Far’

During an appearance Wednesday on Huntsville, AL radio’s WVNN, Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) offered his reactions to the Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report on his investigation into the handling of the investigation into President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Jones, a former U.S. Attorney during the Clinton administration, acknowledged there was fault with regards to the handling of FISA warrants but argued Attorney General William Barr’s reaction and efforts were “a little bit too far.”

“[Y]ou know the inspectors general’s office throughout the federal government is an independent office that is supposed to do independent work,” Jones said. “And I think from what I can tell, that is exactly what happened here. Horowitz is a long-time independent employee with the Justice Department as inspector general finding that there was an appropriate way this investigation should have started and did start but yet found fault. As a former U.S. Attorney, I had concluded that as well. There was fault with some of the things that happened in representations made or omissions made to the FISA Court.”

“But based on what I can tell, and I haven’t read the full report, I think the attorney general has gone a little bit too far in simply trying to defend the president and cast all matter of assertions against the report and the findings of the report,” he continued. “I particularly don’t like the use of the word ‘spying’ because there is nothing to indicate there was any spying or infiltration of the inner-workings of the campaign because surveillance, even recorded surveillance, is done all the time by the FBI and the Department of Justice. So, I really think it is unfortunate the attorney general came out as quickly as he did. And now we’ve got once again, once again, we’re seeing a fight between the director of the FBI and the attorney general. It seems like we have been in this position before, and it never turns out good.”

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