Schiff acknowledges FBI's mistakes in wake of inspector general report, but sticks by probe

Adam Schiff.
(Image credit: Screenshot/ABC)

Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report on the FBI's 2016 investigation into Russian election interference was a popular topic on Sunday.

House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Sunday he understands the report revealed things he wasn't aware of two years ago. And while he agrees with Horowitz's conclusion that the investigation's numerous mishaps signaled the FISA process needed "significant" changes, he still defended the origins of the probe.

Schiff told Chris Wallace on Sunday during an appearance on Fox News Sunday that Horowitz "debunked" Trump's claims that the investigation was political in nature and that the bureau was spying on his campaign staffers.

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Former FBI Director James Comey also spoke with Wallace, admitting he was "overconfident" in the agency's procedures, and slightly walked back some comments he made about how the report vindicated the FBI. But — like Schiff — he maintained the report proved the probe wasn't tainted from the start.

Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), meanwhile, was more critical of the FBI during an appearance on CNN's State of the Union. The former CIA officer isn't sure why more people aren't upset about what the inspector general's report revealed. Tim O'Donnell

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.