Sen. Ted Cruz: IG Report Shows FBI's 'Blatant Misconduct'

Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report showed a "stunning" documentation of "blatant misconduct" both on the part of the DOJ and the FBI in connection with the agency's investigation into President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, Sen Ted Cruz said Wednesday before the watchdog's appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

"Today's hearing will be very valuable," the Texas Republican and Judiciary member told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "The report that the inspector general put out was nothing short of stunning...it details 17 serious misstatements that the F.B.I. and Department of Justice made to the FISA court, statements that just weren't backed up by facts."

Cruz added that the best interpretation of Horowitz's report is that the DOJ and FBI "were grossly negligent and incompetent" and had a "cavalier lack of concern launching an investigation into a political opponent."

The senator said he also disagrees with Horowitz's final conclusion that political motivation didn't come into play in the FBI's investigation.

"I think it's clear the senior leadership were hard Democratic partisans," said Cruz. "(This is) the only way you justify sending in spies, to spy on the Trump campaign when he is the Republican nominee for president."

Meanwhile, polls say that just over half of Americans don't favor impeaching Trump, and Cruz said the House Democrats' case has collapsed. 

"If you look at the articles of impeachment they filed yesterday, it the weakest and thinnest and an admission of defeat," said Cruz. "Rewind, bill, three weeks ago. You remember every House Democrat was saying over and over again bribery. That was their lead talking point. And the reason is the Democratic Campaign Committee had polled it...after hearing the evidence and testimony they couldn't prove it. There wasn't evidence that a crime was committed so they backed all the way from bribery to now their position is they can impeach the president despite zero evidence of any criminal conduct."

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