WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump lashed out Tuesday morning at FBI Director Christopher Wray, saying that Wray "will never be able to fix the FBI" based on his reaction to a Justice Department inspector general's report examining the bureau's investigation of Trump's 2016 campaign.
"I don't know what report current Director of the FBI Christopher Wray was reading, but it sure wasn't the one given to me," Trump tweeted. "With that kind of attitude, he will never be able to fix the FBI, which is badly broken despite having some of the greatest men & women working there!"
The 434-page report rebutted conservatives' accusations that top FBI officials were driven by political bias to illegally spy on Trump advisers as part of the investigation of election interference by Russia, but it also found broad and "serious performance failures" requiring significant changes.
In a statement Monday, Wray, a Trump appointee, said he had ordered more than 40 corrective steps to address the report's recommendations, adding that he would not hesitate to take "appropriate disciplinary action if warranted."
He noted to ABC News, though, that it was "important that the inspector general found that, in this particular instance, the investigation was opened with appropriate predication and authorization."
The report was based on more than 1 million documents and more than 170 interviews.
Wray was sworn in as FBI director in August 2017, replacing Andrew McCabe, who had been leading the bureau in an acting capacity after Trump fired James Comey.
But the FBI director has been at odds with Trump at times. For example, Wray earlier this year said he would not use the term "spying" to describe the FBI's surveillance activities toward the Trump campaign in 2016 -- contradicting both the president and Attorney General William Barr.
At the time, Trump said Wray gave "a ridiculous answer."
Wray also told ABC News on Monday that the inspector general "did not find political bias or improper motivations impacting the opening of the investigation or the decision to use certain investigative tools during the investigations." He rejected characterizing the bureau's work as that of the "deep state" -- a term Trump has used.
"I think that's the kind of label that's a disservice to the men and women who work at the FBI who I think tackle their jobs with professionalism, with rigor, with objectivity, with courage," he said. "So that's not a term I would ever use to describe our workforce, and I think it's an affront to them."
Wray separately said the FBI had "no information that indicates that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 presidential election." Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, has suggested otherwise and recently traveled to Ukraine to meet with people there who he thinks might bolster his case.
"When you see politicians pushing this notion, are you concerned about that in terms of its impact on the American public?" ABC News' Pierre Thomas asked Wray.
"Well, look, there's all kinds of people saying all kinds of things out there," Wray responded. "I think it's important for the American people to be thoughtful consumers of information, to think about the sources of it and to think about the support and predication for what they hear."
Asked on Fox News after Trump's tweet whether the president was disenchanted with his FBI director, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham responded, "I don't believe so. I think that one thing about this president, if he's not happy with you, you will be the first to know. He's got great respect for the FBI and all intelligence agencies and for the thousands and thousands of law enforcement officers who work there."
BARR, WRAY TIES
Officials have said that Barr and Wray have a good working relationship, but that they expect the inspector general's report to increase tensions at least in the short term between the FBI and the Justice Department, as well as with the White House.
In an interview with NBC News on Tuesday, Barr said he knew what the president was "getting at" with the tweet, specifically that the bureau "can't ignore the abuses of the past" or "appear to be justifying or minimizing them."
He said law enforcement officials involved in applying for those warrants had withheld from judges what he said was key exculpatory information that they had received.
He also blamed the Obama administration for telling Russia not to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and not sharing the same warnings or concerns with the Trump campaign. The FBI discussed whether to give a "defensive briefing" to the Trump campaign, but ultimately concluded that if someone in the campaign was working with Russians they could be tipped off and cover up their potential criminal behavior, the report said.
"I think our nation was turned on its head for three years based on a completely bogus narrative that was largely fanned and hyped by an irresponsible press," Barr said.
He said he saw "gross abuses" in the process of obtaining the surveillance warrant and "inexplicable behavior that is intolerable."
He added: "The attorney general's primary responsibility is to protect against the abuse of the law enforcement and intelligence apparatus, and make sure it doesn't play an improper role in our political life. That's my responsibility, and I'm going to carry it out."
But Barr said he and Wray had "worked well together." Asked whether he had confidence in Wray, Barr responded, "yes."
Barr is overseeing a separate Justice Department criminal investigation into the basis of the Russia inquiry, with broad access from Trump to a range of sensitive materials, some of which were not part of Horowitz's review.
A federal prosecutor, John Durham, is leading that investigation and supported the attorney general's assessment of the report.
"Last month, we advised the inspector general that we do not agree with some of the report's conclusions as to predication and how the FBI case was opened," Durham said.
Although Wray is appointed to a 10-year term, Trump could fire him. Doing so, however, would come with significant political risk.
Trump's May 2017 firing of Comey, his first FBI director, produced consequences that have dogged his presidency ever since.
Before Comey's firing, Trump was not a direct subject in the FBI investigation of whether his campaign had coordinated with Russia to influence the 2016 election. But after Comey's removal, the FBI began investigating Trump personally for possible obstruction of justice.
In earlier tweets Tuesday, Trump highlighted findings from the inspector general's report by quoting Fox News commentators who said it documented "very serious misconduct."
"Are you listening Comey, McCabe, lovers Lisa & Peter, the beautiful Ohr family, Brennan, Clapper & many more?" Trump added in his own words, referring to several former FBI and intelligence community officials he has repeatedly criticized.
Information for this article was contributed by John Wagner, Matt Zapotosky and Devlin Barrett of The Washington Post; by Eileen Sullivan of The New York Times; and by Eric Tucker and Michael Balsamo of The Associated Press.
A Section on 12/11/2019