Gowdy: ‘I Think We’re Trending Perhaps Towards Another Special Counsel’ – By Susan Jones (cnsnews.com) / March 5 2018
(CNSNews.com) – Rep. Trey Gowdy, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said on Sunday he has “a lot of confidence” in Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who is investigating how the FBI handled its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails.
“I expect the inspector general to issue a fact-centric, fair report,” Gowdy told “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo. “He found the Strzok and Page texts. Nobody else found that, so I think he is uniquely well-suited to tell us all what happened in 2016.”
The inspector general is expected to release his report on the FBI-Clinton emails either this month or next.
Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he will ask Horowitz to investigate alleged FISA surveillance abuse as well. President Trump issued an angry tweet in reaction:
“Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse. Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc. Isn’t the I.G. an Obama guy? Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL!” Trump tweeted.
Gowdy agreed that there are limits to what Horowitz can do regarding an investigation into FISA abuse:
https://www.mrctv.org/videos/gowdy-i-think-were-trending-perhaps-towards-another-special-counsel
“I don’t think the inspector general himself can answer all of our questions. Some of these witnesses have already left the (Justice) Department, which means the inspector general does not have jurisdiction, and there are other agencies like the State Department where Michael Horowitz at DOJ has no jurisdiction whatsoever.
“Maria, over the weekend, I’ve counted up almost two dozen witnesses that the inspector general would not have access to were he alone conducting this investigation. So I think we’re trending perhaps towards another special counsel because of this unique fact pattern and the fact that there are witnesses outside the reach of the inspector general.”
Gowdy said the Justice Department can’t investigate itself, just as Gowdy couldn’t “grade my own papers in college and law school.”
“You need an independent arbiter, and the Department of Justice cannot investigate itself. Horowitz is a fair guy, but when there are two dozen witnesses that have left the department or worked for another agency, someone else has to do it, and I am reluctant to call for special counsel but I think it may be unavoidable in this fact pattern.”
