Republican senators revealed a State Department inspector general investigation into a meeting between British ex-spy Christopher Steele and government officials in October 2016.

Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Finance Committee, sent a two-page letter to State Department Inspector General Steve Linick on Thursday, questioning the watchdog’s decision-making in the handling of the probe, including his failure to talk to key participants such as former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kathleen Kavalec, who took notes, and former Special Envoy Jonathan Winer, who organized the meeting. Linick also didn’t speak with former Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, who reportedly received Steele’s meeting request and who Kavalec apparently believed had more info on Steele. Moreover, the watchdog didn’t issue a public report on its findings.

This October 2016 meeting is likely being scrutinized by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz in his investigation into alleged abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Horowitz is reviewing the FISA surveillance warrants from the DOJ and the FBI targeting former Trump campaign associate Carter Page, which relied heavily on the unverified dossier compiled by Steele at the behest of the opposition research firm Fusion GPS, which was hired by the Clinton campaign through the Perkins Coie law firm.

The FBI knew Steele had an anti-Trump bias, his dossier was flawed, and he was receiving funding from Clinton, but didn't tell the FISA Court.

Steele met with Kavalec and Winer on Oct. 11, 2016, 10 days prior to the first FISA application, and Kavalec forwarded her notes to the FBI. During the meeting, Steele admitted he was encouraged by his client to get his research out before the 2016 election, signaling a political motivation. Kavalec’s notes also show she found flaws with Steele’s allegations and cast doubt on his credibility. DOJ official Bruce Ohr reminded the FBI in February 2017 about Kavalec's meeting with Steele. What the FBI did with the information Kavalec provided isn't known, but the bureau filed its fourth FISA renewal as late as June 2017.

Johnson and Grassley revealed the watchdog hadn’t talked to the three State Department officials.

“We write seeking to understand why the [inspector general] did not issue a report on its investigation and did not interview employees who most likely have relevant information regarding the subject matter of the inquiry,” the senators wrote. “Why did the [inspector general] not interview Mr. Winer to learn why he introduced Mr. Steele to other high-ranking State Department employees days before the FBI sought and received a FISA probable cause order to surveil a Trump campaign official?”

The Republican senators said their staffs were briefed by Linick and, “although unfortunately short on details," they learned the watchdog reviewed whether State Department employees had violated the Hatch Act, whether Winer complied with State Department regulations related to intelligence gathering, and whether Winer broke classified information protocols.

“The briefing also disclosed that the [inspector general] determined that a State Department employee may have engaged in anti-Trump political conduct in violation of the Hatch Act and referred that individual to the Office of Special Counsel for investigation,” Johnson and Grassley wrote. “Despite this recommendation, however, the [inspector general] did not publish a written report about its review.”

The senators also revealed that Winer used at least two different nonofficial email accounts as early as December 2014, the same year he started talking with Glenn Simpson, the founder of Fusion GPS. Winer, a longtime Clinton ally, has known Steele since 2009 when he left MI6 to form his Orbis Business Intelligence, and Steele shared dozens of reports with Winer, which Winer provided to Nuland, Secretary of State John Kerry, and others. Johnson and Grassley said Winer sent roughly 27 emails, the contents of which were not made public, to the State Department through his nonofficial accounts and “many of these emails include a note from Mr. Winer requesting the email contents be placed on the ‘high side’ and were sent to ‘three individuals’ within the State Department.”

In a reference to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server and her mishandling of classified information, the senators also asked: “With the Department’s recent history of officials using non-official email to conduct official business, why did the IG not seek to interview Mr. Winer regarding his use of non-official email accounts for government business?”

The Republican chairmen gave the State Department watchdog until Sept. 26 to respond to their questions.

Horowitz’s report is expected to be released in the coming weeks.

