The DOJ has had a major breakthrough in their investigation into FISA abuse after a witness from outside the FBI and DOJ came forward and agreed to testify.
It is not known if there is more than one witness, but the information they received has caused them to re-interview previous witnesses, just as the investigation was ending. It is expected that we will get a short summary of what the investigation found within the next couple of weeks.
The full report cannot be released until the FBI and other intelligence agencies have a chance to block out anything that could endanger methods and resources. It is believed about 25% of the report will be redacted.
At least one “key witness” outside the Justice Department and FBI recently began cooperating with the investigation, Fox News reported. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz is investigating whether the FBI abused the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by conducting surveillance against Trump campaign associate Carter Page.
Although Horowitz’s investigation was reportedly complete, and a report detailing its conclusions was in the process of being drafted, the development forced some witnesses to be reinterviewed, according to Fox News.
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In this case, additional FISA information came to light late in the process – including October 2016 contact (first reported by The Hill and confirmed by Fox News) between a senior State Department official and a former British spy Christopher Steele, who authored the infamous and salacious anti-Trump dossier.
The State Department contact with Steele was relayed to a senior FBI official. The timeline matters because about two weeks later, the FBI and DOJ used Steele’s unverified research, paid for by the DNC and Clinton campaign, to secure a surveillance warrant against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. At the very least, it’s been argued, Steele’s contact with another government agency should have been a red flag for the FBI because it may have violated his confidential human source agreement.
The identity of the forthcoming witness is not known.