FBI admits mistakes in response to Durham Report.

The FBI Acknowledges Mistakes in Trump Campaign Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has responded to Special Counsel John Durham’s report on the agency’s 2016-2017 investigation of the Trump campaign. The FBI acknowledged mistakes and noted that it had implemented reforms in response to those mistakes.

Reforms Could Have Prevented Missteps

The FBI stated that “had those reforms been in place in 2016, the missteps identified in the report could have been prevented.” The agency also acknowledged the importance of continuing to work with rigor, objectivity, and professionalism.

Flaws in FBI’s Decision to Surveil Trump Campaign

Special Counsel Durham found flaws in the FBI’s decision to surveil the Trump campaign ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Durham indicated that the FBI broke its own rules in pursuing this unjustified surveillance due to confirmation bias against then-Republican candidate Donald Trump, over-reliance on information provided by Trump’s political opponents, and a lack of attention to accuracy and completeness in pursuing surveillance measures.

Reforms Recommended by Durham

Durham recommended that the FBI take potential reforms to improve sourcing practices and put checks and balances on potential bias in agency personnel. In response to a press inquiry, the FBI sent a letter to Durham detailing the steps the agency has taken to prevent similar incidences going forward.

Improvements Made by the FBI

The FBI has installed more rigorous requirements for applying for surveillance, required personnel training for surveillance applications, updated agency guidelines on vetting confidential human resources, required additional approval for opening “sensitive” investigative measures, and expanded its internal oversight and auditing programs.

The FBI added that the questionable conduct uncovered in Durham’s report occurred under the previous leadership and that “all senior executives overseeing the Crossfire Hurricane investigation have left the FBI as a result of termination, resignation, retirement.”

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