Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, opened the hearing today questioning the Department of Justice Inspector General, Michael Horowitz about his report about FBI actions and FISA abuse during the Russia probe.

Graham 2.0 was in full beast mode, excoriating the FBI improper actions in the case. Horowitz, largely admitted that Graham was right, that it had been “pretty bad.”

Here are some of the highlights.

Is it kind of off-the-charts bad?

Horowitz: It's pretty bad. pic.twitter.com/t0U812VWjE

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 11, 2019

Graham blew apart former FBI Director James Comey’s claim that somehow the report cleared him or exonerated him.

FLASHBACK: James Comey, December 2018

"I have total confidence that the FISA process was followed and that the entire case was handled in a thoughtful, responsible way… I think the notion that FISA was abused here is nonsense." pic.twitter.com/ct2eoyLVbu

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 11, 2019

So it was all lies. No treason. No spying on the campaign. No tapping Trumps wires. It was just good people trying to protect America. https://t.co/9nurCaIBq2

— James Comey (@Comey) December 9, 2019

No, not so much. The IG report found a ton of FISA abuse, indeed even saying they had to launch an investigation on how to reform the process because there had been so many problems found.

Here’s Horowitz finishing Comey off.

Graham: “The former FBI director James @Comey said this week that your report vindicates him. Is that a fair assessment of your report?”

Horowitz: “The activities we found here don’t vindicate anybody who touched this.”
pic.twitter.com/EaQGCgjHbv

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 11, 2019

The Steele Dossier was “central” and “determinative.” Destroying a common Democratic and media line to try to distance the Democrats from the mess they in fact were behind because of funding of the DNC and the Clinton team funding the dossier.

A lot of reporters have a lot of “reporting” to correct.

Sen. Graham: Steele Dossier “was central and outcome determinative” in getting FISA warrant. pic.twitter.com/S8d0agj07w

— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) December 11, 2019

The FBI essentially became the hatchet men for the Democrats.

Despite having this belief about the Russians, they never made any effort to actually warn the Trump team. And then in the only briefing they did give, an intelligence briefing, they just gave a generic briefing, they didn’t raise any of these questions.

Not only that the Clinton team got the same briefing. But they were treated differently, that intelligence briefing was used as an opportunity to spy on the Trump team.

Were the briefings to the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Donald Trump campaign the same?

Horowitz: "They were treated differently"

Hillary got a normal briefing@realDonaldTrump got a briefing with an FBI agent there to spy on him and Gen. Flynn — based on Hillary's LIES pic.twitter.com/vTc0uMmo7p

— Elizabeth Harrington (@LizRNC) December 11, 2019

https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1204801368764092420

Horowitz: I can’t say that there wasn’t political bias when it came to the FISA because their actions were inexplicable.

They failed to provide exculpatory information to the court.

IG Horowitz: FBI did not reveal “significant” evidence undermining “their theory of the case” in FISAhttps://t.co/Vh96HB3q9G pic.twitter.com/uypKhsJ23y

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 11, 2019

Yes, there was illegal surveillance.

And everyone involved was referred for further investigation to determine “how to address their performance failures.”

IG Horowitz referred the ENTIRE chain of command of Obama's FBI for further investigation

Incredible pic.twitter.com/kXI1agEcoD

— Elizabeth Harrington (@LizRNC) December 11, 2019