Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker said today that a highly anticipated report from the DOJ's Inspector General Michael Horowitz will contain "some pure TNT." Horowitz has been investigating the conduct of the FBI's top brass surrounding the 2016 election for over a year. He also uncovered over 50,000 text messages between two anti-Trump / pro-Clinton FBI employees directly involved in the exoneration of Clinton and the counterintelligence operation launched against the Trump campaign.

Swecker: “The behavior if it’s manifested in the action with your thumb on the scale of a particular investigation, one way or the other, that’s borderline criminal behavior — manipulating an investigation. I think this IG report is going to be particularly impactful, more so than any of these useless congressional investigations. I think you’re going to see some pure TNT come out in this IG report.”

Ex-FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker puts Comey & McCabe on notice: 'Some pure TNT' will come out in the Inspector General report. pic.twitter.com/QdS3WkiTJ7 — Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) March 16, 2018

The Inspector General's report is thought to include evidence of outgoing Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe ordering agents to alter "302" forms - the paperwork an agent files after interviewing someone.

Horowitz is also reportedly homing in on McCabe's handling of the Anthony Weiner laptop after reports emerged that he wanted to avoid taking action on the FBI's findings until after the 2016 election.

The inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, has been asking witnesses why FBI leadership seemed unwilling to move forward on the examination of emails found on the laptop of former congressman Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.)until late October — about three weeks after first being alerted to the issue, according to these people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. A key question of the internal investigation is whether McCabe or anyone else at the FBI wanted to avoid taking action on the laptop findings until after the Nov. 8 election, these people said. It is unclear whether the inspector general has reached any conclusions on that point. -WaPo

In January, Fox's Sean Hannity sat down with journalist Sara Carter - who shed light on the McCabe situation, saying that FBI Director Christopher Wray was "shocked to his core" after reading the GOP-authored "FISA" memo describing FBI malfeasance surrounding the 2016 U.S. election:

Carter: What we know tonight is that FBI Director Christopher Wray went Sunday and reviewed the four-page FISA memo. The very next day, Andrew McCabe was asked to resign. Remember Sean, he was planning on resigning in March - that already came out in December. This time they asked him to go right away. You're not coming into the office. I've heard rep[orts he didn't even come in for the morning meeting - that he didn't show up. Hannity: A source of mine told me tonight that when Wray read this, it shocked him to his core. Sara Carter: Shocked him to his core, and not only that, the Inspector General's report - I have been told tonight by a number of sources, there's indicators right now that McCabe may have asked FBI agents to actually change their 302's - those are their interviews with witnesses. So basically every time an FBI agent interviews a witness, they have to go back and file a report. Hannity: Changes? So that would be obstruction of justice? Carter: Exactly. This is something the Inspector General is investigating. If this is true and not alleged, McCabe will be fired. I heard they are considering firing him within the next few days if this turns out to be true.

Meanwhile, several Republican Senators are asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to order a special counsel to probe the FBI's conduct during its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election - including the use of the "Steele dossier" in seeking a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant against former Trump Campaign advisor Carter Page. The letter marks the second formal request by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The request comes amid controversy over Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe's pension - which is in jeopardy after the Department of Justice's internal watchdog found enough evidence of malfeasance to recommend firing McCabe immediately.

The letter also notes that Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who they have the "utmost confidence" in, "does not have the tools that a prosecutor would to gather all the facts, such as the ability to obtain testimony from essential witnesses who are not current DOJ employees."

Senators Chuck Grassley Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and John Cornyn (Texas), signed a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions as well as Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to name a special counsel who can "gather all the facts."

"We believe that a special counsel is needed to work with the Inspector General to independently gather the facts and make prosecutorial decisions, if any are merited. The Justice Department cannot credibly investigate itself without these enhanced measures of independence," wrote the senators.

See the letter below, and click on the tweet for more background on the ongoing investigation from Nick Short of the Security Studies Group.

Grassley, Graham, Cornyn, Tillis Seek Special Counsel to Work with Inspector General on Handling of Russia Investigation. https://t.co/Zjsl3HcMzZ pic.twitter.com/mD4aZ1jxg7 — Nick Short 🇺🇸 (@PoliticalShort) March 15, 2018

As Chuck Ross of the Daily Caller points out, the letter also "broke a bit of news":

It reveals that Bruce Ohr, the former deputy assistant attorney general, was interviewed 12 separate times by the FBI in 2016 and 2017. Ohr was in contact with Steele prior to the 2016 election. And shortly after the election, Ohr was in contact with Glenn Simpson, the founder of Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm that hired Steele to investigate Trump. Ohr’s wife, a Russia expert named Nellie Ohr, also happened to be working as a contractor for Fusion GPS for its Trump investigation. Senate Judiciary Republicans want to know whether the FBI and DOJ were aware of that relationship. The committee letter lists all of Ohr’s FBI interviews, which were summarized on what’s known as a FD-302 document. The first interview with Ohr was conducted on November, 22, 2016. The most recent occurred on May 15, 2017. -Daily Caller

The DOJ's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced in January that it was opening a probe of the FBI's handling of the Clinton email investigation. Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked the OIG to explore whether FBI officials abused their authority when they used an unverified and salacious dossier from Fusion GPS to obtain a FISA warrant on Carter Page.

That said, Sessions has resisted repeated calls for a second Special Counsel.

Graham and Grassley also asked the OIG to look into the FBI's conduct while handling the Russia probe, writing in a February letter:

"We respectfully request that you conduct a comprehensive review of potential improper political influence, misconduct, or mismanagement in the conduct of the counterintelligence and criminal investigations related to Russia and individuals associated with (1) the Trump campaign, (2) the Presidential transition, or (3) the administration prior to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller."

The Senators also noted in their Thursday letter that if the DOJ declines to appoint a second special counsel, they want "a detailed reply explaining why not."