Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz announced Wednesday that a former high-level FBI official engaged in misconduct by having unauthorized contacts with the media, leaking sensitive information and accepting a gift from a member of the media.
Specifically, the IG said a former FBI Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) leaked to the media the existence of information that had been filed under seal in federal court; leaked “FBI law enforcement sensitive information to reporters on multiple occasions; and had “dozens” of unauthorized official contacts with the media in violation of FBI policy.
The announcement said the former DAD also accepted a ticket valued at approximately $225 to attend a media-sponsored dinner as a gift from a member of the media in violation of federal regulations and FBI policy.
The DOJ IG did not specify who the former official is, but said the matter was referenced on page 430 of its earlier review into whether the FBI acted improperly when conducting its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server for government work.
Page 430 of the review said, “although FBI policy strictly limits the employees who are authorized to speak to the media, we found that this policy appeared to be widely ignored during the period we reviewed.” – READ MORE