U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst on Wednesday suggested the federal government misused its power to spy on President Donald Trump for political reasons as part of its investigation into Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 election.

"It begs the question, too, with the federal government spying on political opponents — what have we come to?" Ernst said Wednesday at a meeting of the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale. "And that seemed to generate out of the Obama administration. So I think that there are some things that need to be looked at. We need to understand, when is it appropriate to misuse power so that you're using your federal assets to go after a political opponent? It sounds very much like something you find in Russia or someplace like that."

Ernst did not specify which of the federal government's actions she considers "spying," and she declined to answer questions from reporters after Wednesday's event.

The senator was responding to a question from the group about special counsel Robert Mueller's report, a redacted version of which was released last week.

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Mueller's 448-page report detailed multiple contacts between Russian operatives and Trump associates during the 2016 campaign but said the investigation did not find evidence of a criminal conspiracy. The report also documented a series of actions by Trump to derail the special counsel's investigation, though it did not reach a conclusion on whether he illegally sought to obstruct justice.

Attorney General William Barr later determined that the president’s conduct did not constitute a crime.

Asking Ernst about the report, the attendee suggested there is a "two-tiered justice system — one for the Clintons" and another for Trump. He suggested the government should more closely scrutinize the origins of the investigation into Trump and Russia's role in the 2016 election. Ernst agreed.

"It does seem to be an abuse of power," she said. "And it will be interesting to know how that came about — how this report was initially generated just at the very root basics. You know, why did this start in the first place? And I think we can go back into the Obama administration and figure that out. But yeah, it does seem to be a two-tiered system, absolutely."

More:Sen. Joni Ernst says Mueller testimony may not be necessary

Mueller's redacted report notes the FBI received information from a foreign government about George Papadopoulos, who had been foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign. According to Mueller's report, that information prompted the FBI to open its Russia probe on July 31, 2016.

Barr has suggested the Justice Department would investigate the genesis of the investigation.

"Spying on a political campaign is a big deal," Barr told members of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee during a recent hearing, though he did not offer evidence to support his claims of spying. "I think spying did occur. The question is whether it was adequately predicated. And I’m not suggesting that it wasn’t adequately predicated. But I need to explore that."

The DOJ's inspector general is conducting a review of surveillance warrants authorities used to eavesdrop on a former campaign aide, Carter Page, in October 2016. Barr has said that effort should be completed by June. Republicans in Congress have complained repeatedly that the FBI targeted Trump's campaign for political reasons, revealing text messages between two senior officials involved in the probe who expressed their personal contempt for Trump.

Trump has repeatedly accused American law enforcement officials of targeting his campaign for political reasons. So far, however, investigations in Congress have not produced evidence that the extraordinary inquiry was politically motivated or meant to sabotage his campaign.

Ernst's comments drew swift criticism from Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price.

"Senator Ernst knows this is wrong, yet she is pedaling this absurd rumor to show her loyalty to Donald Trump," he said in a statement.

Kevin Johnson of USA Today contributed to this report.

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the Chief Politics Reporter for the Register. She can be reached by email at bpfann@dmreg.com or by phone at 515-284-8244.