Watchdog Report On Clinton Probe: FBI's Christopher Wray Vows To Address Concerns

Shortly after the U.S. Justice Department's internal watchdog released a report criticizing FBI officials for their handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, the agency’s Director Christopher Wray said it will "hold employees accountable for any potential misconduct."

The report by Inspector General Michael Horowitz, released Thursday, accused former FBI Director James Comey of being "insubordinate" in handling the investigation, thus damaging the agency’s image. It, however, found no evidence to prove Comey was motivated by political bias. The report was based on an investigation into allegations of “unprofessional behavior” on the part of officials in the Justice Department and FBI.

Two other FBI officials - Peter Strzok and Lisa Page- also came under fire for sending out politically biased text messages.

Comey, in a news conference in July 2016, announced Hillary Clinton would not be charged with any crime for her use of a private email server to handle classified material.

"While we did not find that these decisions were the result of political bias on Comey’s part, we nevertheless concluded that by departing so clearly and dramatically from FBI and department norms, the decisions negatively impacted the perception of the FBI and the department as fair administrators of justice," it said.

Speaking about the report at a press briefing Thursday, Wray said he took the report very seriously and accepted its findings and recommendations.

In a statement, he said, "The report does identify errors of judgment, violations of, or even disregard for, policy and decisions that at the very least with the benefit of hindsight were not the best choices."

"It's also important to note what the inspector general did not find. This report did not find any evidence of political bias or improper considerations actually impacting the investigation under review," he added.

Wray said the IG’s “oversight” will help make the FBI a “stronger” organization and added, “The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. To carry out that mission, we’re entrusted with a lot of authority, so our actions are subject to close oversight—from the courts, from our elected leaders, and from independent entities like the inspector general. That’s how it should be.”

He promised appropriate action to address the issues mentioned in the report and said a few FBI officials will soon be referred to the agency’s internal Office of Personnel Management as part of a review. Wray, however, defended the agency and said the report is based on the actions of a few officials in connection with a specific set of events that happened in 2016.

“The OIG report makes clear that we’ve got some work to do. But let’s also be clear on the scope of this report. It’s focused on a specific set of events back in 2016, and a small number of FBI employees connected with those events. Nothing in the report impugns the integrity of our workforce as a whole, or the FBI as an institution.”

"I see extraordinary people doing extraordinary work," Wray said. "Again, and again, I hear remarkable stories, frankly, inspiring stories about the work the men and women of the FBI are doing to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution."

It may be noted the report comes at a time when the agency was facing attacks from President Donald Trump and his supporters for being biased.