FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday disputed Attorney General William Barr’s use of the word “spying” to describe surveillance of President Trump’s 2016 campaign.
“That’s not the term I would use,” Wray told the Senate Appropriations Committee. “To me the key question is making sure it’s done by the book, consistent with our lawful authorities. That’s the key question, different people use different colloquial phrases.”
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Wray, who appeared before lawmakers to talk about the FBI’s budget request for fiscal year 2020, added that he was not “personally” aware of any evidence pointing to illegal information gathering by law enforcement before the 2016 election.
The FBI director was also asked about Barr’s plan to probe what triggered the Trump-Russia inquiry carried out by the Justice Department and the FBI in 2016, which last month culminated in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.
Barr “is seeking to understand better the circumstances at the department and the FBI relating to how this investigation started. And we’re working to help him get that understanding. I think that’s part of his job and part of my mine,” Wray said.
Barr told the Senate in April that he believed “spying did occur” and that the Justice Department would examine “the genesis and conduct of intelligence activities directed at the Trump campaign during 2016.”
Beyond the probe being conducted by Barr, the department’s Inspector General Michael Horowitz has been leading an investigation into alleged Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act abuse. Horowitz’s inquiry is expected to conclude as early as May or June.
