Sen. John Kennedy said it was easier to get divorced than get fired from the FBI, during a hearing with Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
Horowitz appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to discuss his report assessing the Trump-Russia investigation. Kennedy was questioning Horowitz about the findings of his nearly 500-page report into the origins of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, which looked into alleged ties between associates of President Trump 2016 campaign and Russia.
The Louisiana Republican characterized it as the “misfire hurricane” investigation and asked Horowitz how many members comprised the investigative team.
Horowitz said that there were three teams over the period of the investigation and estimated that there were “at least half dozen to a dozen [investigators] on each of those iterations.” He also noted that there were “probably a little bit more if you’re going to go all the way up the chain through all the different levels at the bureau.”
“Do you or your team have a feel for how many of these folks are still at the FBI?” Kennedy asked.
“Well, the higher-level people, as you know, have changed over in the last year,” Horowitz responded. “So the director, deputy director, et cetera, the assistant director, deputy assistant director, a lot of people at the upper levels are no longer [there].”
“But are some of the actual agents?” Kennedy cut in.
“Some of the agents are still there,” Horowitz said.
Kennedy asked Horowitz if some of those agents are still working on FISA applications, and he said that the senator should speak to the FBI about that question.
“It’s easier to divorce your spouse around here than to get fired. That’s clear. At least at the FBI,” Kennedy said, prompting a pause from Horowitz.
Earlier during his testimony, Kennedy said that he felt like he had “dropped acid” in reading the watchdog’s report.
Horowitz’s report found “significant inaccuracies and omissions” in the FBI’s applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to monitor former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. He also found the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into Trump’s team was properly authorized.
