by Chuck Ross
North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows made two startling claims in a House hearing on Tuesday, asserting that there is “growing evidence” that FBI officials altered documentation of witness interviews in the Hillary Clinton and Russia probes.
The Republican also revealed the name of an FBI attorney he believes is the bureau employee who was removed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation in February after he was found to have sent anti-Trump text messages.
Meadows made the revelations in a round of questioning with Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
On Thursday, Horowitz’s office released a scathing report that documented FBI officials’ mishandling of the Clinton investigation. It also laid out a slew of text messages that FBI officials and attorneys sent criticizing Donald Trump.
“I think the other thing that I would ask you to look into, there is growing evidence that 302s were edited and changed,” Meadows said. “Those 302s, it is suggested that they were changed to either prosecute or not prosecute individuals. And that is very troubling.”
Meadows was referring to forms that FBI agents use to summarize witness interviews. He told reporters after Tuesday’s hearing that he has seen evidence that 302s filled out during the Clinton and Russia investigations have been changed. He also said he has “more information” about the alleged alterations.
Horowitz appeared to acknowledge that he is aware of allegations about edited 302s.
“If I could just mention, we have been getting those kind of referrals and as often happens when we issue reports like this we get other information coming to us, and we are intending to follow up on that,” Horowitz said.
Meadows was not finished dropping bombshells.
He also threw out the name of the person he believes is identified as “FBI Attorney 2” in the IG report released on Thursday. The report cited text messages that the lawyer sent shortly before and after the 2016 election criticizing Trump.
“I am numb,” the attorney wrote on Election Day.
“Viva le resistance,” he wrote to another FBI attorney on Nov. 22, 2016.
The lawyer worked on both the Clinton and Russia investigations. On the latter, he served as the FBI’s top attorney on the Russia probe as of 2017 and worked on Mueller’s team until February. He was removed from that investigation after the discovery of his anti-Trump texts.
Horowitz said early on in Tuesday’s hearing that the lawyer was not identified in the IG report at the request of the FBI. The bureau claimed that the individual’s identity was sensitive because he worked on counterintelligence matters.
“Is the other one Kevin Clinesmith?” Meadows asked in an attempt to get Horowitz to identify FBI Attorney 2.
Horowitz did not take the bait.
Meadows also asked Horowitz whether an FBI lawyer named Sally Moyer was also referenced in the IG report.
“They don’t work in counterintelligence. If that’s the reason the FBI is giving, they’re giving you false information because they work for the general counsel,” Meadows said.
Mueller’s office and the FBI have refused to identify FBI Attorney 2.
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Chuck Ross is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Chuck on Twitter.
