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Sessions stresses confidence in DOJ watchdog handling FISA abuse claims | TheHill

posted onMarch 10, 2018
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Article snippet: Attorney General MORE on Friday held open the possibility of appointing a special prosecutor to oversee an investigation into the FBI's handling of the Russia inquiry, but insisted that the Justice Department's internal watchdog was well-equipped to carry out the probe. His defense of the DOJ's approach follows criticism by MORE. "Our Office of Inspector General has almost 500 employees, investigators and prosecutors, and they're going to work on this and get to the bottom of it," Sessions told Fox News' Tucker Carlson. But pressed by Carlson on whether a special prosecutor – as opposed to the Justice Department's inspector general – should carry out the investigation, Sessions said that "it could be one day that a special prosecutor would be required." Sessions ordered the inspector general last month to examine whether FBI officials abused their authority by obtaining a secret surveillance order on Carter Page, a former foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign. That allegation was made by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee. But the move angered Trump, who blasted Sessions for putting the inspector general on the case instead of a special prosecutor, calling the attorney general's actions "disgraceful" and alleging the inspector general is biased because he's an "Obama guy." Trump previously claimed that Obama administration officials inappropriately surveilled his campaign.  The Justice Department’s inspector general Michael Horowitz rose to t... Link to the full article to read more

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