The Latest: Trump slams Russia probe ahead of report release
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on a report by the Justice Department's internal watchdog on the FBI's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. (all times local):
11:55 a.m.
President Donald Trump is bashing the special counsel investigation into Russian election meddling as a "pile of garbage" ahead of the release of a highly anticipated report looking into the Justice Department's conduct during the 2016 election.
Trump says in a pair of tweets that now that he's back from his summit with North Korea, "the thought process must sadly go back to the Witch Hunt."
Trump is yet again insisting there was "No Collusion and No Obstruction of the fabricated No Crime" and is accusing Democrats of making up "a phony crime," paying "a fortune to make the crime sound real," and then "Collud(ing) to make this pile of garbage take on life in Fake News!"
The report by the Justice Department's internal watchdog is being released Tuesday afternoon and is expected to criticize the FBI's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
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11:35 a.m.
Two Republican-led House committees say a monthslong probe into the now-closed FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails has so far shown "questionable decision-making" by the agency.
A document listing preliminary conclusions was obtained by The Associated Press ahead of a report from the Justice Department's internal watchdog. That much-anticipated report is due to be released Tuesday afternoon. It is expected to criticize the FBI's handling of the investigation.
Republicans on the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees say they have "substantial questions about whether DOJ and FBI properly analyzed and interpreted the law surrounding mishandling of classified information." They charge that the FBI did not follow legal precedent and treated the Clinton probe differently from other cases.
Based on documents they received, the Republicans allege bias against Donald Trump in his campaign against Clinton.
— Mary Clare Jalonick
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1 a.m.
The Justice Department's internal watchdog is releasing its much-anticipated report on the FBI's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
The report being issued Thursday afternoon is the culmination of an 18-month review of one of the most consequential FBI investigations in recent history.
Its findings will revive debate about whether FBI actions affected the outcome of the 2016 presidential election and contributed to Clinton's loss to Donald Trump.
Trump's supporters have eagerly awaited the report in hopes that it would skewer the judgment of James Comey, who was fired as FBI director last year.
Among the actions scrutinized is Comey's decision to publicly announce his recommendation against prosecuting Clinton, and his disclosure to Congress days before the election that the investigation was being revived because of newly discovered emails.