(Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Attorney General Bill Barr revealed in an exclusive interview with Fox News that the recently announced investigation into the origins of the Russia probe will focus in part on a controversial briefing that intelligence officials gave President Trump shortly before he took office in 2017.
Barr told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer that one portion of the review – which he has tapped U.S. Attorney John Durham to lead – would cover the time period between Election Day and Inauguration Day, asserting that “some very strange developments” took place during that time.
Barr specifically was referring to the early January 2017 briefing intelligence officials gave then-president-elect Trump at Trump Tower, and “the leaking of information subsequent to that meeting.” At that meeting, Trump was briefed by intelligence and law enforcement officials on Russian election meddling — and was also informed by former FBI Director James Comey about the now-infamous anti-Trump dossier which included salacious allegations against him. Details later leaked to the press.
“That’s one of the things … we need to look at,” Barr said of the briefing.
As for the dossier itself, Barr said he is “not sure what role it played,” but it is part of the review.
“It’s a very unusual situation to have opposition research like that, especially one that, on its face, had a number of clear mistakes and in a somewhat jejune analysis,” Barr said. “And to, and to use that, take it to conduct counterintelligence against an American political campaign is a strange—would be a strange development.”
Confused? WIBC’s Hammer and Nigel explain:
Nigel:
“The higher ups at the FBI relied on this Steele Dossier that was bought and paid for by Hillary and the DNC in order to get the FISA warrants. Those warrants allowed them to spy on the Trump campaign – specifically Carter Page. That’s what we’re all looking into here.
Is it possible there was a calamity of errors that was unintentional and that caused them to go crazy with the FISA warrants? Maybe, maybe not. All the more reason for an investigation, however.”
Hammer:
“And now you’ve got Comey pointing at Brennan, Brennan pointing at Comey, and this is the reason the Democrats are so desperate to discredit Bill Barr and hold him in contempt. They know he’s coming after them for the things we’ve been questioning for a long time.”
Still confused? We can’t help you, but still click on the link below to hear the audio highlights of Barr’s interview.
