Thread by @Headsnipe011

Investigative Summary: Findings of Misconduct by an FBI Official for Accepting Gifts From Members of the Media & for Lack of Candor

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oig.justice.gov/reports/2018/f…

The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) initiated this investigation upon the receipt of certain text messages from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during the course of the OIG’s Review of Allegations Regarding Various Actions...

by the Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Advance of the 2016 Election (June 2018; justice.gov/file/1071991/d…) (pre-election review).

The text messages indicated that a senior FBI official accepted two tickets to a professional sports game as a gift from a television news correspondent who regularly covered the FBI and DOJ, in violation of federal regulations.

The OIG investigation substantiated, and the senior FBI official acknowledged, that the official accepted two tickets to a professional sports event from the TV correspondent without paying the correspondent for the tickets.

The senior FBI official initially maintained to the OIG in an interview under oath that the official had paid for the tickets, but five days later admitted to the OIG that the official did not.

The OIG found that the senior FBI official lacked candor with the OIG in several respects about the tickets.

In addition, the OIG found that the senior FBI official had previously accepted one ticket from the same correspondent to another professional sports event,

and one ticket from a different news reporter to another sports event. Although the senior FBI official stated that the official had paid the correspondent and reporter for these tickets,

the OIG found no evidence in the senior FBI official’s communications with the correspondent or the reporter using FBI devices or systems to confirm that the official paid for the tickets,

and the senior FBI official provided the OIG with no evidence to show that the official had paid for the tickets.

The senior FBI official’s conduct violated federal regulations prohibiting federal employees from accepting gifts from prohibited sources, such as members of the media, where, for example, the source seeks official action by the employee’s agency;

the source does business or seeks to do business with the employee’s agency; and the source has interests that may be substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of the employee’s official duties.

Criminal prosecution was declined. The senior FBI official retired from the FBI during the OIG’s investigation. This matter is among the OIG investigations referenced on page 430 of the OIG’s pre-election review.

The OIG has completed this investigation and provided its report to the FBI for its review and action it deems appropriate.