Rep. John Ratcliffe said the criminal inquiry into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, revealed Thursday evening, may have been prompted by criminal referrals from the Justice Department inspector general.

The Texas Republican said it is "not a coincidence" the shift in the inquiry follows the completion of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz's investigation into alleged Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act abuses.

"I think that these two things are related. That the work done by Michael Horowitz could result in criminal referrals, even though the report hasn’t been released. The referrals could already have been made," Ratcliffe said in a Friday morning interview on Fox News.

Ratcliffe is a member of the House Intelligence Committee. In February 2018, the then-GOP majority of the panel released a memo outlining allegations that DOJ and FBI officials misled the FISA court in using an unverified dossier compiled by British ex-spy Christopher Steele to obtain warrants to electronically monitor onetime Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Democrats put together a rebuttal memo that defended the actions of the DOJ and FBI.

Horowitz began his FISA investigation in March 2018 and wrapped up the inquiry last month. The report is now undergoing a classification review by the DOJ and FBI. Hours before U.S. Attorney John Durham's criminal investigation was revealed, Horowitz sent a letter to Congress saying that process was "nearing completion."

Once that report is released to the public, Ratcliffe said it will shed light on why the status of Durham's inquiry was changed.

"John Durham had to let Michael Horowitz finish this work, and I think when people read the inspector general’s impending report, it will be very clear why the Durham investigation has now moved to a criminal inquiry, which will allow him to impanel a grand jury and bring in witnesses and ultimately, perhaps, bring criminal charges," he said.