As is the case in most inspector general probes, witnesses are being invited to review draft sections of the report and offer comments and corrections, the people said. But — unlike most cases — they are being told those comments must be conveyed only verbally, the people said.

Even though Attorney General William P. Barr and other officials have been working in recent weeks to determine what should be redacted from the report as classified or private information, people familiar with the process said that the entire draft document is marked “Top Secret,” so anyone who discusses its contents outside a secure government room could be committing a crime.

Nothing in that series of paragraphs is unusual.

The “Top Secret” refers to classified material inside the FISA report which we already knew about. Remember, President Trump authorized AG Bill Barr to declassify material in order to assist the IG investigation [Directive Here]. Until the report is made public all of that underlying material is classified. Hence some special handling is needed and no notes etc. are permitted. It’s not a conspiracy, it’s a matter of process handling.

The material inside the report is classified until the report is made public. Ergo the report itself must be handled ‘as if’ it is Top Secret classified, because technically it still is.

The principal review phase under IG Horowitz generally lasts two weeks, ten business days. Each principal only is allowed to see the segments that pertain to their specifics. Each principal may provide feedback to how the report outlines their activity. The IG may, or may not (not required), include comments from the principal in the final report. If principal comment is included the IG will generally present rebuttal evidence.

In all draft reviews the principals are required to sign non-disclosure agreements; this prevents leaks. Nothing about this is extraordinary. However, in this example it appears Horowitz is trying to speed up the release by not waiting for the legions of lawyers to submit written responses for consideration. Instead Horowitz is recording any commentary and will transcribe into the final report if he feels it warrants inclusion.

Again, other than oral comments (to be transcribed), as opposed to written responses from the lawyers, nothing about this is unusual. This is the standard process.

[…] Witnesses, they said, are being asked to review their sections in a secure area, after signing nondisclosure agreements, according to people familiar with the matter. The witnesses have also been told they will not be allowed to remove any notes they make about the document, the people said.

The moves have left some witnesses concerned their objections might not be recorded precisely and incorporated into the inspector general’s findings, the people said. The witnesses, they said, are also concerned that the process gives the inspector general complete control in characterizing any comments witnesses make — and leaves witnesses with no ability to create a paper trail that might help them show their words were captured inaccurately.