Sen. Cruz: ‘To Sign off on Turning the FBI and the CIA Into a Tool of Opposition Research’ Has ‘Done Immeasurable Damage’
Grills former Acting Attorney General on surveillance of Trump campaign in Judiciary hearing on Crossfire Hurricane investigation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, today questioned former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates at a full committee on her decision to sign off on an investigation into key Trump campaign aide Carter Page and her role in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. Watch Sen. Cruz's full line of questioning at today's hearing here.
WATCH: Cruz Grills Sally Yates for Signing Off on Turning the FBI & CIA Into a Tool of Opposition Research
On Ms. Yates' role in permitting the surveillance of Carter Page, Sen. Cruz remarked:
"So when they came to you asking to surveil members of the Trump campaign because of conduct they allegedly did while members of the Trump campaign. What due diligence did you do? Did you press back at all? You already told Senator Kennedy you just trusted the FBI. You didn't ask about their sources. I mean, what due diligence did you do before signing off on what we now have significant reason to believe was a profound politicization of law enforcement and intelligence?"
On former Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr's involvement in the investigation and Ms. Yates' knowledge of Mr. Ohr's connection to Fusion G.P.S, Sen. Cruz asked:
"But his wife was working for Fusion G.P.S. being paid by Hillary Clinton and the DNC, and he certainly was actively involved in this investigation. Did you know that? Did anyone inquire about that?"
Ms. Yates responded:
"No. We had no idea on that, we learned that from the Inspector General's investigation and Bruce Ohr was not working with us on any of these FISA applications."
When Ms. Yates said she had read the Inspector General Report and stated, " Inspector General Horowitz found that he did not find any evidence of bias or political motive," Sen. Cruz replied:
"Ms. Yates, with all due respect, Inspector General Horowitz found 17 material misstatements in those FISA applications, including a lawyer from the FBI who fraudulently altered a document and submitted it, and in fact, took the question, ‘Was Carter Page an asset for the CIA?' The CIA said, ‘Yes.' He altered the document and changed it to a no. You're telling me that nobody wanted to get Trump? How about that lawyer that fraudulently altered a document to get this surveillance?"
Sen. Cruz continued:
"You mentioned in your testimony the principled, career men and women at the Department of Justice and the FBI. And you're right. There are tremendous principles, whose integrity has been called into question by the profound politicization of the leadership of the Department and of the Bureau and to sign off on turning the FBI and the CIA into a tool of opposition research and attacking your political opponents and to go all the way to the Oval Office, as you did on January 5th, with President Obama and Joe Biden going after their political opponents, it's wrong and it is done immeasurable damage to the professionals and the men and women of integrity at the Department of Justice and at the Bureau."
In June, Sen. Cruz questioned former Department of Justice officials relating to Crossfire Hurricane and the politicization of the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the intelligence community.
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