A former
FBI lawyer is under criminal investigation for allegedly altering a document pertaining to the 2016 surveillance of a
Trump campaign adviser.The document will likely factor into
Justice Department inspector general Michael Horowitz's review of the FBI's attempts to obtain a FISA warrant to surveil former Trump campaign official Carter Page,
CNN first reported.At the time, the FBI was looking into allegations that the Trump campaign worked with
Russian operatives to influence the 2016 presidential election. The Mueller investigation later concluded that those allegations were based on insufficient evidence. During an April
Senate hearing, U.S. attorney general
William Barr said he believed "spying did occur" during the FBI's
Russia probe, possibly in the case of Page.Horowitz has also shared the document with federal prosecutor John Durham. Durham was appointed this year by Barr to investigate intelligence gathered by the FBI as part of its Russia probe. According to the Washington Post, the altered document did not affect the basic validity of the FISA warrant obtained to investigate Page.The Justice Department declined to comment to CNN on the matter. The lawyer under investigation no longer works at the FBI.Horowitz's probe into the origins of the FBI's
Russia investigation was upgraded to a criminal probe in October. Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said on Wednesday he expects the probe's findings to be released on December 9."I look forward to reviewing the report and hearing Mr. Horowitz’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he will deliver a detailed account of what he found regarding his investigation, along with recommendations as to how to make our judicial and investigative systems better," read a statement from Graham's office.