The Justice Department watchdog’s past high-profile probes of FBI cases involving Hillary Clinton, James Comey, and others show a pattern of kid-glove treatment and pulling punches for some powerful people.

That lenient pattern seemed certain to spell disappointment for those hoping for a full condemnation of FBI surveillance abuses from Inspector General Michael Horowitz's latest report on the bureau's Trump-Russia investigation.

In a three-article package (related sidebars are here and here), Paul Sperry of RealClearInvestigations in September enlisted Justice Department investigative veterans in a warts-and-all look at a man routinely portrayed within the Washington Beltway as a “straight shooter.” This record includes Horowitz's notable tendency to cut important people slack within the institution he has long served.

Sperry found that:

Horowitz let ex-FBI Director Comey slide in an apparent lie . Horowitz’s old colleague Comey claimed, despite records strongly suggesting otherwise, that he was not told for weeks about an obvious hot potato: the discovery of new emails in the Hillary Clinton investigation.

. Horowitz’s old colleague Comey claimed, despite records strongly suggesting otherwise, that he was not told for weeks about an obvious hot potato: the discovery of new emails in the Hillary Clinton investigation. Horowitz also accepted Comey’s word that his leaking was not classified. A Comey memo of a conversation with President Trump was deemed merely sensitive – even though it concerned the FBI's counterintelligence investigation of the president’s national security adviser.

A Comey memo of a conversation with President Trump was deemed merely sensitive – even though it concerned the FBI's counterintelligence investigation of the president’s national security adviser. Horowitz took Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch’s word for it on the infamous Phoenix tarmac meeting . He didn’t interview members of the ex-President and Attorney General’s security details about what the powerful pair discussed just before Lynch’s DoJ was to rule on Hillary’s emails.

. He didn’t interview members of the ex-President and Attorney General’s security details about what the powerful pair discussed just before Lynch’s DoJ was to rule on Hillary’s emails. Horowitz took Andrew McCabe at his word too . The ex-FBI No. 2 testified that during the Clinton email probe, he knew nothing about a big cash infusion into his wife’s state senate run arranged by a longtime Clinton ally, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe – despite evidence McCabe met with the governor.

. The ex-FBI No. 2 testified that during the Clinton email probe, he knew nothing about a big cash infusion into his wife’s state senate run arranged by a longtime Clinton ally, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe – despite evidence McCabe met with the governor. Horowitz didn’t demand Page and Strzok’s private emails . Anti-Trump FBI lovers Peter Strzok and Lisa Page worked and communicated while away from government-authorized devices in an apparent Hillary Clinton-like violation of department rules.

. Anti-Trump FBI lovers Peter Strzok and Lisa Page worked and communicated while away from government-authorized devices in an apparent Hillary Clinton-like violation of department rules. Horowitz and his wife have supported Democrats. He worked on liberal Barney Frank’s campaign while in college and in 2010 donated to Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, an ex-colleague now running for President who has slammed President Trump for his coziness with Vladimir Putin. Alexandra Kauffman Horowitz is a former Democratic activist and former Washington producer for CNN.

Assessing Horowitz’s work, Chris Swecker, a 24-year investigative veteran of the FBI, said, “I see a pattern of him pulling up short and trying to be a bit of a statesman instead of making the hard calls.” Tom Fitton, president of the watchdog group Judicial Watch, said the IG has exposed some critical facts, but his reports are “cover-ups at the same time.”

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