Maria Bartiromo dropped a bombshell on an already fractured Washington claming that she has confirmed the much-anticipated IG report about the FISA abuses by James Comey and his gang will be released Friday.
Mark Meadows predicted there be criminal referrals to AG Barr, as many people think James Comey will not dodge the bullet this time.
Throwing the IG report on a town consumed by impeachment may change the conversation and give President Trump some ammunition to hit back.
The Washington Examiner reported that Bartiromo, who is the first journalist to report an exact release date, discussed what she had learned on her Fox News show, Sunday Morning Futures, with two Republican congressmen who deduced former high-ranking government officials are bracing for a scathing critique.
“I’m hearing the IG report will be out this upcoming Friday, Oct. 18, and my sources say it’s as thick as a telephone book,” Bartiromo said, adding that it covers “more than just FISA abuse.”
Neither of Maria Bartiromo’s guests, Reps. Doug Collins of Georgia and Mark Meadows of North Carolina, appeared to have any insider information of the contents of the FISA report, but they offered deductions of what to expect.
Collins, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, surmised that former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe have been “ramping up” an “I’m innocent” defense during recent appearances on MSNBC and CNN respectively. Lumping in comments by former FBI Director Comey, Collins concluded the report is “not going to be very good” for them.
James Comey, who was fired by President Trump in May 2017 and has been very critical of the president since, signed and approved three of the four FISA warrant applications and renewals starting in October 2016, and some Republicans speculate he will be charged for misleading the court’s judges.
Horowitz also harshly criticized James Comey in two prior high-profile investigations and even sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department over Comey’s memos, although the Justice Department declined to prosecute. Last month, Comey said that he is “highly confident” he will not be indicted.
Meadows predicted Horowitz’s report will be a “scathing rebuke” of the FBI based on documents he provided to the inspector general and said he sees some areas that warrant criminal referrals to AG Barr.
At bare minimum, the North Carolina Republican said he expects there will be a “strong recommendation” to change FISA application protocols.