Here’s a viewing tip for Wednesday: Watch how Republicans who were dead set against anyone making any inferences in looking at the evidence of Trump's actions in Ukraine are prepared to take wild leaps when Michael Horowitz testifies on the origins of the Russia investigation.
As the Justice Department's inspector general, Horowitz will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday morning to discuss the just-released report on the origins of the investigation into connections between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. That report found a number of procedural errors by FBI investigators over the course of the investigation. However, it found no political bias in the motivations of those who initiated the investigation, and more than adequate cause for the investigation to be launched simply on the basis of preserving national security.
Attorney General William Barr immediately, and unprecedentedly, attacked the conclusions of the report, but Donald Trump and other Republicans have taken a simpler tack: They’ve lied about it. The same route has been followed by Fox News, commentary on Sinclair media, and AM radio stations across the country. As a result, a large swath of the nation is hearing only the message that Horowitz did confirm every conspiracy theory of the right; that his report was “devastating” to the FBI; and that he revealed the horrible bias against Trump that led to an attempted “deep state” coup by rogue elements out to overturn the votes of good, honest Americans.
Which won’t make it all that difficult for the right to clip out moments from Wednesday’s hearing. Look for Republican senators to pound Horowitz over events related to former Trump adviser Carter Page that took place years before Page was a part of Trump’s campaign and attempt to blur them into “Obama wiretapped Trump.” Also look for Republicans to bring up former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele and the material he researched as if it were the only foundation of the FISA warrant on Page, even though Horowitz explicitly detailed that it was not the source of key information. And expect to hear Lindsey Graham say “dossier” many, many times.
Most of all, expect Republicans to attack Horowitz over his failure to find the political bias they’ve been claiming was there all along. While they keep on claiming that it’s there.