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The Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday released a series of transcripts from interviews conducted during its investigation of “Crossfire Hurricane,” the code name given to the FBI counterintelligence operation which fabricated evidence used to justify spying on the 2016 presidential campaign of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The operation later prompted the FBI Special Counsel’s phony Witch Hunt probe into collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
See a press release from the Judiciary Committee, with comments from committee chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.):
Judiciary Committee Releases Transcripts of Interviews Conducted During Oversight of Crossfire Hurricane Investigation
WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), today released transcripts of interviews conducted during its inquiry into the origins and aftermath of the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation.
“I consider the Crossfire Hurricane investigation a massive system failure by senior leadership, but not representative of the dedicated, hardworking patriots who protect our nation every day at Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice.
“As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I have decided to release all transcripts of depositions involving the committee’s oversight of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. We have released as much material as possible, but some classified material has still been withheld.
“I appreciate all those who participated in the depositions and their candor. They have charted a path to allow us to reform the system.
“I believe that Crossfire Hurricane was one of the most incompetent and corrupt investigations in the history of the FBI and DOJ.
“The FISA court was lied to. Exculpatory information was withheld on those being investigated. The investigators, with some notable exceptions, were incredibly biased and used the powers of law enforcement for political purposes. The subjects of the investigation had their lives turned upside down. It is my hope that counterintelligence investigations will be reined in and this never happens again in America.
“The leadership of the FBI under Comey and McCabe was either grossly incompetent or they knowingly allowed tremendous misdeeds. There was a blind eye turned toward any explanation other than the Trump campaign was colluding with foreign powers. At every turn the FBI and DOJ ran stop signs that were in abundance regarding exculpatory information.
“The FISA warrant applications against Carter Page were a travesty, and those who signed them have acknowledged that if they knew then what they know now, they would not have signed it.
“It is hard to believe that the senior officials at the FBI did not know that the Steele Dossier had been disavowed by the Russian subsource. It is equally hard to believe that the warnings from the CIA and other agencies about the reliability of Christopher Steele and the dossier were not known to senior leadership. It is my hope that the Durham report will hold those accountable for the travesty called Crossfire Hurricane.
“There was no ‘there’ there. The investigation was pushed when it should have been stopped and the only logical explanation is that the investigators wanted an outcome because of their bias.
“Former FBI Director Comey and his deputy Mr. McCabe, through their incompetence and bias, have done a great disservice to the FBI and DOJ, and the senior DOJ leadership who signed off on the work product called the Crossfire Hurricane investigation have created a stain on the department’s reputation that can only be erased by true reform.
“I hope that the media will look closely at what happened and examine these documents, but I am not holding my breath.
“I appreciate the hard work of Inspector General Horowitz who uncovered the massive abuses of Crossfire Hurricane. His team should be proud of the work they did, as it will be used over time to reform the DOJ and FBI.
“I’m proud of the Judiciary staff and the work product produced by the Senate Judiciary Committee. I am disappointed that Democrats did not take it more seriously, but I do believe what the committee did will pave the way for much-needed reforms regarding future investigations.
“I will be pursuing reforms of counterintelligence investigations and warrant applications, and hope that my Democratic and Republican colleagues can find common ground on these matters. I also hope and expect that FBI Director Wray will continue the reforms he has started. It is hard to believe that something like Crossfire Hurricane could have happened in America.
“The bottom line is that going forward we must have more checks and balances when it comes to political investigations. We must have more meaningful sign-offs on warrant applications, and we need to restore the trust to the American people in this system.”
The committee released 11 transcripts of bipartisan staff interviews conducted from Tuesday, March 3, 2020 to Thursday, October 29, 2020.
As part of “Crossfire Hurricane,” members of the Obama administration’s Justice Department reportedly relied on evidence fabricated by foreign agents in order to obtain FISA warrants to spy on the Trump campaign.
Below are transcripts of interviews conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee of at least 10 Obama officials allegedly involved in attempting to defraud the FISA court.
Chairman Graham released 11 transcripts of interviews conducted during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s inquiry into the origins and aftermath of the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation. (press release)
Handling Agent 1: Interviewed on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 (Transcript)
Michael B. Steinbach: Interviewed on Friday, June 12, 2020 (Transcript)
Stephen C. Laycock: Interviewed on Monday, June 15, 2020 (Transcript)
Dana J. Boente: Interviewed on Monday, June 22, 2020 (Transcript)
Bruce Ohr: Interviewed on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 (Transcript)
Stuart Evans: Interviewed on Friday, July 31, 2020 (Transcript)
Supervisory Special Agent 1: Thursday, August 27, 2020 (Transcript)
Jonathan Moffa: Interviewed on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 (Transcript)
Deputy Chief, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, Justice Department: Interviewed on Friday, September 18, 2020 (Transcript)
Case Agent 1: Interviewed on Friday, September 25, 2020 (Transcript)
Supervisory Intelligence Analyst: Interviewed on Thursday, October 29, 2020 (Transcript)
September 29, 2020
Chairman Graham released a letter from Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe. DNI Ratcliffe responded to Graham’s request for intelligence community information regarding the FBI’s handling of Crossfire Hurricane. (document) (press release)
September 24, 2020
Chairman Lindsey Graham released a letter from Attorney General William Barr and a declassified summary from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that indicate Christopher Steele’s Primary Sub-source was a likely Russian agent and had previously been the subject of an FBI counterintelligence investigation. (document) (press release)
August 23, 2020
Chairman Graham released newly declassified FBI documents and communications demonstrating the Bureau’s double standard when it came to the Clinton and Trump campaigns. (document) (press release)
August 9, 2020
Chairman Graham released a newly declassified FBI document that indicates the Bureau misled the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2018 about the Steele dossier’s Primary Sub-source and therefore, the reliability of the Steele dossier. (document) (press release)
July 17, 2020
Chairman Graham secured the release of two recently declassified documents that significantly undercut the reliability of the Steele dossier and the accuracy and reliability of many of the factual assertions in the Carter Page FISA applications. (document 1) (document 2) (press release)
June 11, 2020
The Committee authorized Chairman Graham to issue subpoenas related to oversight of the FISA process and the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. (press release)
June 3, 2020
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled, “Oversight of the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation: Day 1” with former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as a witness. (hearing)
May 27, 2020
Chairman Graham announced that former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein would testify before the committee at a hearing titled, “Oversight of the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation: Day 1.” (press release)
May 19, 2020
Chairman Graham sent a letter to Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell and Attorney General William Barr to ask that the Committee be provided with the names of any official who made a request to unmask the identity of individuals associated with the Trump campaign or transition team. (press release)
May 18, 2020
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced that the Committee would debate and vote on a subpoena authorization related to the FISA abuse investigation and oversight of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. (press release)
May 6, 2020
The Senate Judiciary Committee released a memo from Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to Special Counsel Robert Mueller regarding “The Scope of Investigation and Definition of Authority”. (memo)
May 6, 2020
The Senate Judiciary Committee released an additional declassified transcript between George Papadopoulos and an FBI confidential human source (declassified on May 5, 2020). (document)
April 27, 2020
The Senate Judiciary Committee released an additional declassified transcript between George Papadopoulos and an FBI confidential human source (declassified on April 24, 2020). (document)
April 27, 2020
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) wrote to Attorney General William Barr asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to produce a number of documents related to information from Christopher Steele’s primary source who ultimately contradicted Steele’s reporting. (press release, letter)
April 16, 2020
The Senate Judiciary Committee released three categories of material:
1. Declassified DOJ materials related to the Crossfire Hurricane operation.
2. Timeline of correspondence sent or received by Chairman Graham and Committee activity regarding the FISA abuse investigation.
3. Corrective actions taken by DOJ and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court as a result of the FISA abuse investigation.
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January 15, 2021 at 10:31PM