[ad_1]

FBI Director James Comey

Joshua Roberts / Reuters

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department's inspector general on Thursday announced a wide-ranging review of department activities — including those of FBI director James Comey — in the run-up to this past year's presidential election.

The Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General is an independent entity created by law that is empowered to investigate misconduct within the Justice Department.

Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who was confirmed to the position in 2012, announced the investigation eight days before Donald Trump's inauguration and the day after the confirmation hearings for Trump's nominee to be attorney general, Jeff Sessions, concluded.

The review will look into Comey's July 5, 2016, news conference about the recommendations the FBI made regarding its investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, as well as his letters of Oct. 28, 2016, and Nov. 6, 2016, regarding emails that had been discovered on Anthony Weiner's laptop, as well as actions leading up to or related to those events and whether “underlying investigative decisions were based on improper considerations.”

Additionally, the review will look into whether the FBI deputy director, Andrew McCabe, should have been recused from participating in certain matters. The Wall Street Journal reported in October 2016 that McCabe's wife, who had run for public office in Virginia, had received significant campaign support from Clinton's longtime ally, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

The review also is to examine allegations regarding the Justice Department's Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs, allegations of improper disclosure of non-public informations, and questions regarding the timing and manner of the FBI's release of certain documents relating to Freedom of Information Act requests.

[ad_2]