about the fbi. ased on some of the testimony that this committee and others have heard in the past, not today. here's what i'm looking for. i want you to be apolitical. i don't want you to exhaust yourself trying to make political friends up here. i want you to be socrates. i want you to be dirty harry with the bad guys, and i want you to tell me how you're going to do that in this environment. >> well senator, first let me say that i have, i think a heightened appreciation for the point that you're making about the power of the fbi and what you said about the fbi's ability to ruin people's lives. one of the things that i did even as head of the criminal division was i tried to meet with every new hire, we're talking about over 400 lawyers, every time we had a new hire, i would spend 10-15 minutes with that person and one of the points i would try to make is that the decisions that that prosecutor would make, and the same thing would be true, obviously for fbi agents in spades, short of their wedding

at the fbi of the mission. in conclusion, i pledge to be the leader that the fbi deserves and to lead an independent bureau that will make every american proud. thank you, mr. chairman, senator feinstein. i look forward to answering the committee's questions. >> before my first ten minute starts we'll have ten-minute rounds just in case somebody came late and didn't hear what i had said about that. two votes scheduled at 12:30. i asked if she thought we could get done by 12:30 and she said, we hope so, but, obviously, we'll let people go as long on their questions as they want to. but i would ask people to think in terms of people chairing the committee so we don't lose a whole 45 minutes while we're having votes. so, think that in mind. my first series of questions are going to seem maybe very softball and they probably are softball. but i think they're very important to every member of this committee, particularly when they have an administration that says that democrats can't get answers to their questions w

at the fbi from the mission. in conclusion, i pledge to be the leader that the fbi deserves and to lead an independent bureau that will make every american proud. thank you, mr. chairman, senator feinstein. i look forward to answering the committee's questions. >> before my first ten-minute start, we're going to have ten-minute rounds, just in case nobody -- came late and didn't hear what i said about that. there are two votes scheduled at 12:30. senator feinstein and i had a short conversation before the meeting. i asked if she thought we could get done by 12:30. she said, we hope so. but obviously, we're going to let people go as long on their questions as they want to. but i would ask people to think in terms of people chairing the committee so we don't lose a whole 45 minutes while we're having votes. so think that in mind. my first series of questions are going to seem maybe very softball. and they probably are softball. but i think that they're very important to every member of this committee, particularly

comey at the top of the fbi. ng about this and watching this hearing all day. senate judiciary committee, you see the camera crews and still photographers and reporters awaiting his arrival at the witness table. kasie hunt is on capitol hill for us, part of our huge group of correspondents and analysts to cover this story today. she will lead us off for this part of our coverage. kasie, set the stakes for everything we'll be seeing today. >> well, brian, i think the stakes really are centered around everything we've been talking about, about donald trump jr., the latest news about his meeting with this russian lawyer, his knowledge that they wanted to talk about hillary clinton, saying that he would love that, and that really sets the stage for the scene here where you're going to have an fbi director nominee who is pressed repeatedly about the president, who of course as we know has been almost in hiding the last couple of days, not holding public events. this is a post where he had asked the previous fbi directo

the fbi's role might be more limited within. the atf would play a bigger role in a lot of gun issues, but the fbi does have an important role to play in a very significant seat at the table. >> that's a conversation i would like to continue once or confirmed. >> i look forward to it. >> welcome mr. wray, i'm delighted you're here and i wish you well. i would like to ask is a question for the record that you provide the committee with a complete description of what you know about how it is that you came to be selected. if you could lay that out, we had a similar question and answer from judge gore search and i think in this case, it would be helpful. let me ask you a specific question, which is to the course of coming to this table today and being nominated, you mentioned that you will owe your duty of loyalty only to the constitution and the rule of law. has anybody asked you otherwise? >> no, senator, no one has asked me for any loyalty oath and i wouldn't offer one. as i said, my loyalty is to the constitution, the rule of law,

at the fbi from the mission. in conclusion, i pledge to be the leader that the fbi deserves and to lead an independent bureau that will make every american proud. thank you, mr. chairman, senator feinstein. i look forward to answering the committee's questions. >> before my first ten-minute starts, we're going to have ten-minute rounds just in case nobody came late and didn't hear what i said about that. there are two votes scheduled at 12 cl 12:30. senator feinstein and i had a short conversation before the meeting and i asked if she thought we could get done by 12:30. she said we hope so. but obviously we're going to let people go as long on their questions as they want to. but i would ask people to think in terms of people chairing the committee so we don't lose a whole 45 minutes while we're having votes. so think that in mind. my first series of questions are going to seem maybe very softball and they probably are softball, but i think that they're very important to every member of this committee, particular

as well as for the fbi. i described judge bell then as a man noted for his quick mind, his candor, integrity and his independence. years later in may 2003, judge bell contacted me. i was out of the senate at that stage. praising christopher wray as a rising star. he suggested that i recommend him to my former senate colleagues as a terrific choice to be confirmed to head the criminal division of the department of justice. since that time i followed his career in and out of government. can i have satisfied myself fully to my support for christopher in 2003 was well-placed. i can assure this committee that chris embodies the same trades that enabled griffin bell to rebuild public companies in the department of justice, quickness of mind, candor, integrity and independence. a couple of questions. what is the basis of my confidence in chris? senator feinstein, hope to address some of your questions and answering that question that i posed. from his service as assistant united states attorney in atlanta in 1997. w

for more than 50 years the fbi was run by j. edgar hoover, arguably the most independent fbi director in history. the very people charged with constraining his power were targets of his secret files. so with the americans whose civil liberties were trampled by the co-intel program and fil hoover's own illegal abuses. yet the fbi building still bear his name just as the bureauu bears the weight of his ugly legacy. but in america the people rule,, not the police or the military. vigorous oversight by elected officials as both the executive and, both the executive and legislative branches essential to protect that liberty. i've been doing vigorous oversight work of the fbi for my entire career on this committee. as long as i'm sure but i willor to ask important questions and this expect honest answers on behalf of the american people. just yesterday we had hearing in the crime subcommittee thatan illustrated the long history of congress exercising its constitutional authority to do oversight, including ongoingng criminal and intelli

is above the rule of law. an fbi director who doesn't comply with the law should be treated just like anybody else. >> when you unpack this concept of independent pe-- it's importt the bureau and its functions not be politicized. yet, we have three branchs of government. so ultimately, legislative and executive branchs, two most relevant at this moment, are acoua accountable to the people. it's not supposed to be direct political accountability. how do you conceive of if you are confirmed who your boss is when you are the fbi director? >> senator, it's the right question, of course. it's true that the president is the head of the executive branch. the attorney general is the head of the justice democrat. the fbi is part of the justice and part of the executive branch. the independence of the fbi, what we are talking about is not stru structural or organizational but of process. to me, the fbi needs to be able to follow the facts and follow the law wherever and to whomever it leads. it's a process question. that would

the fbi was run by j. edgar hoover, the most independent fbi director in history. the people charged were targets of his secret files. so were the americans whose civil liberties were trampled by the comey program, yet they fbi building bears his name and ugly legacy. people rule in america. vigorous oversight by elected officials from both legislative branches is essential. i've been doing oversight work for the fbi on the entire career on this committee. as long as i'm chairman, i will ask the questions and expect honest answers. yesterday we've had a hearing that illustrated the long history of congress exercising authority to do oversight including ongoing criminal matters. sometimes you cannot talk public about all of the details but we strive to be open as possible. some people argue that oversight is somehow interference. this ignores the important work of our work to ensure transparency and accountability. this committee has received detailed information about ongoing criminal matters and foreign activities and will continue to seek that information. that's

>> i would say i think the fbi director and the fbi needs to be -- the fbi and fbi director for all americans including muslim americans and the -- my experience in terrorism investigations has been that some of the best leads we ever got, were from members of that community, from muslim americans. i remember having conversations with that with among others, u.s. attorney from your state, pat fitzgerald, a friend of mine. while certainly we do face threats from certain radical ideologies when turn to violence and it is also true that those americans just like all americans are people we need to get information from to help protect the homeland. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> congratulations to you and your family on this nomination. i appreciate your willingness to come back in the public service at a time when i think the nation's confidence in its public institutions is -- has been shaken. and i think it's very important to have somebody of your character and background and experience serve as the next fbi director because i think public confidence in the fbi has been shaken over recent eve

for more than 50 years the fbi was run by j. gar hoover, arguably the most independent fbi director in history. the very people charged with constraining his power were targets of his secret files. so were the americans who civil liberties were trampled by the intel program and hoover's own illegal abuses yet the fbi building still bears his name just as the bureau bears the weight of his ugly legacy but in america the people rule, not the police or military, vigorous oversight by elected officials is both the executive -- both the executive legislative branches is essential to protect that liberty. i've been doing vigorous oversight work of the fbi for my entire career on this committee. as long as i'm chairman, i will continue to ask important questions and expect honest answers on behalf of the american people. just yesterday we had a hearing in the crime subcommittee that illustrated the long history of congress exercising its constitutional authority to do oversight including ongoing criminal and intelligence matters. someti

as the fbi director?. >> i don't know enough about the specifics but i would say that my commitment on these issues that is faithful to the law and constitution so in response to ruth senator ben is that we need the cooperation of the muslim american in the community and those that did it has been obtained so the fbi director needs to be the fbi director for all americans. >> so to raise some concerns this is a foundation of religious freedom with racial profiling. so as fbi director you would be sensitive about moving forward on any type of program to treat different groups in a discriminatory way?. >> discrimination is abhorrent not something you would condone our what you pay close attention if it would raise those types of concerns is the issue with religious freedom one of the cases that was more meaningful than i have ever done was a case where churches all around the country were burned down over a particular religion. >> i am over my time. saw your firm has represented individuals with energy intere

at the fbi from the mission. in conclusion, i pledge to be the leader that the fbi deserves and to lead an independent bureau that will make every american proud. thank you, mr. chairman, senator feinstein, i look forward to answering the committee's questions. >> my first series of questions are going to seem maybe very softball. and they probably are softball, but i think that they're very important to every member of this committee, particularly when they have an administration that says democrats can't get answers to their questions when they do their oversight work, or even 30 republicans that aren't chairman of the committees they can't get answers to their questions and things like the role of whistleblowers, that may not sound like the stuff that is basic to your job, but it's basic to the constitutional principle we have as separation of powers and the constitutional role of congress. so the first one we've heard a lot about the need for an fbi to show independence. you just heard what senator feinstein

investigation, going after senior fbi officials, calling the acting director of the fbi corrupt, firing the director of the fbi, insisting that the fbi must report directly to the president. raising the prospect that this attorney general was wrong to recuse himself of an fbi investigation into a campaign he was involved in. pressuring him to the point where nobody would be surprised if he tried to get rid of that recusa recusal. and now launching a counter narrative that the whole fbi investigation is fruit of a poisoned true. that the fbi investigation is itself a russian plot. all of these attacking all attacking and trying to undermine and discredit the federal bureau of investigation while they investigate this president. what is if fbi going to do about that? i have just the guy to ask. he's here next. oro. ♪go your own way copd tries to say, "go this way." i say, "i'll go my own way" with anoro. ♪go your own way once-daily anoro contains two medicines called bronchodilators, that work together to significantly improve lung function all day and all night. anoro is not for asthma .

acting director of the fbi corrupt, firing the director of the fbi, insisting that the fbi must report directly to the president. raising the prospect that this attorney general was wrong to recuse himself of an fbi investigation into a campaign he was involved in. pressuring to the point where nobody would be surprised if he tried to get rid of that recusal. and now launching this counternarrative that the whole vismt investigation is fruit of a poison treat. that the fbi-russia investigation is itself a russian plot. all of these different attacks all happening simultaneously, all attacking and trying to undermine and discredit the federal bureau of investigation, while they investigate this president. what is the fbi going to do about that? i have just the guy to ask. he's here next. ...it starts a chain reaction... ...that's heard throughout the connected business world. at&t network security helps protect business, from the largest financial markets to the smallest transactions, by sensing cyber-attacks in near real time and automatically deploying countermeasures. kee

as to the fbi, my experience historically has been that some of the very best agents in the fbi gravitate to the public corruption squad and that is because the skill level and sophistication of the very best fbi agents is in my view without parallel and public corruption cases are extremely difficult to pursue and it requires some of the best and brightest agents and it is watching a good public corruption fbi agent worker cases a site to behold and would inspire any american as it did me when i saw it. >> thank you. as you may or may not know, all applicants for law enforcement positions at u.s. cups domes directing that customs and border protection are required to pass polygraph test. these high failure rates have prevented us from hiring enough officers to adequately staff at our ports entry's. we are turning away qualified applicants because of the potentially flawed polygraph. they have heard of false positives out there and if you there might impact their ability to land another federal or state law enforcement job in the future. given the fbi success administrating its own poly g

building, that the consternation of the fbi currently was because of the way that donald trump fired fbi director called me seemingly for political reasons. the consternation that you're talking about currently right now, that that's where it lies. >> previously, it was lying right in the ground of james comey because he got rather political and coming out and making statements. >> zac: no argument here. >> trish: donald trump to be very careful right now. his administration is to be careful right now because despite what christopher wray says, it is a witch hunt. i would say, why not go with someone who is a squeaky clean? why do you need to have the defense attorney for chris christie, why do you need to have a guy who his own firm was doing work for major russian energy companies? i would just say, we need to be careful, we need to do everything by the book, we need this to be perceived, because perception means a lot. >> sandra: i'm not going to let perception or optics drive my decision. if there's nothing wrong and there is no there there, he's going to do who is the best perso

should have done was call the fbi. he said yes, i have no reason to believe that russia didn't meddle in the election, he said at the end, no, i don't think it's a witch hunt. as the president said again even today to be investigating this. >> it just sort of underscores how isolated this president and his team, his own nominee for fbi, he answered every single question in a way that was at odds with what the white house and their top people have either said or done. so i do think that we obviously -- i don't think there was a lot of question that that's how he was going to answer these questions, a professional law enforcement official is going to answer those questions the way he did, and i think he'll be easily confirmed, i think that's pretty clear after this hearing. but the more important thing is less about wray and more about where this leaves president trump, essentially by himself, and with every allegation just lashing out at the media. >> i have two takeaways both along the same point here. i agree with laur

guest: remember, the fbi director is a 10-year term. this was an stated after j edgar hoover ran the bureau for ,ecades, perhaps too long accrued to much power. one of the ideas behind a 10-year term is that the tenures insulates somebody from politics and the election cycle in a lot of ways. one of the reasons why people were concerned. james comey was fired by president trump less than halfway through his term. he had only served three years. he had seven years left to go. it is the president's right to fire and fbi director, but there are questions about the reasons for that, which is why christopher wray wanted to present himself as a nonpartisan, by the book, along the lines, straight edged former prosecutor. host: have most attorneys that isgrafted policy reflected of their politics? some might say the same about loretta lynch and the folks before her. guest: the relationship between the justice department and the white house is always a fraught one. president kennedy appointed his brother to be attorney general over the united sta

as to the fbi, my experience historically has been that some of the very, very best agents in the fbi gravitate to the public corruption squads. and that's because the skill level and sophistication of the very best fbi agents is, in my view, without parallel. and public corruption cases are an extremely difficult to pursue, and it requires some of the best and brightest agents. and it's watching a good public corruption fbi agent work a public corruption case is really a sight to behold. and it would inspire any american as it did me when i saw it. >> all right. thank you. as you may or may not know, all applicants for law enforcement positions at the u.s. customs and border protection are cbp are congressnally mandated to pass a polygraph test as a condition of employment. the problem that we're having is that cbp experiences significantly higher failure rates, around 65%, than any other federal law enforcement agency. these high failure rates have prevented cbp from hiring enough officers to adequately staff our ports of entry, for example. and i think it's problematic for cbp to b

as to the fbi, my experience historically has been that some of the very best agents in the fbi gravitate to the public corruption squads and that's because the skill level and sophistication of the very best fbi agents is in my view without parallel. and public corruption cases are extremely difficult to pursue and it requires the best and brightest agents and to see a senior fbi agent investigate public corruption is a thing to be behold. >> congressly mandated to pass a polygraph test as a condition of employment. the problem that we're having is that cvp experiences a significantly higher failure rate. around 65% than any other law enforcement agency. these high failure rates have prevented cvp from hiring enough officers to staff our ports of entry, for example. and i think it's problematic to be turning away qualified applicants just because of a potentially flawed polygraph. what we're finding is a lot of people are reluctant to submit themselves because they have heard of false positives out there and fear that it might impact their ability to land another federal or state or loca

we here, of course, have oversight over the fbi. will you come before us periodically so that we can do our oversight? >> yes, senator, i expect i'll be seeing a fair amount of the committee if confirmed. >> do you think that attorney general sessions should come before us periodically so we can exercise our oversight? >> well, senator, don't speak for the attorney general and his appearances, but i'm sure he values his committee having been a member of it and would need to appear before it periodically. >> yeah, i agree. let me ask you about when director comey was fired, one of the justifications was made that director comey had lost the confidence of rank and file fbi agents. you have known jim comey for a long time. and you worked alongside him and you know a good number of people at the fbi, back from your time at the justice department. is that your experience talking to them? >> well, senator, obviously i haven't done a scientific sampling of the 36,000 men, and women of the fbi. >> why not? sorry, go ahead. >> i appreciate yo

and she did, she and jack both knew they were under surveillance by the fbi. the family was trying hard to keep up with their relationship as was inga's husband. and so finally, the pressure was too much and jack kennedy said they would have to end the relationship and inga was heartbroken. jack kennedy called up and said see, we should get together this weekend and she said wait a minute, you make clear that we have no future and if romance is not an option, i love you, i'll always care about you but we're done . so jack kennedy , he couldn't say no for an answer so over the next seven years he would try to rekindle the relationship and tried to get the romance going and inga was glad to see him but she said no. it's time for us to move on. they had one final assignation right after he was elected to congress in november 1946 and inga was at an odd place so they had one more romantic interlude and then didn't talk to each other again. jack went on, he went into congress, inga mary for a third time and so their lives diverge. they thought about each other a gre

the what's your take on how he would handle the job as fbi director? at's he like as a person? >> well, you know, i worked at the justice department with chris wray and he was the chief of staff to larry thompson. he was one of the counsel's on larry thompson's staff. and he was the consequence mat chief of staff. he was there to do the work, to be responsible, does not look for the flash and for the light, is really about the grind, really getting the work done. he is a consummate law enforcement officer and has made a life career of that. that's who he is. >> sounds like that may explain some of why so many of your colleagues, democrats, have come out already and said they'll vote for him. and i hope you're forgive me. i want to change gears on you just a little bit because we have some new video of president trump. this is the first time we've seen him in public in several days. he did an interview with cbn. let's take a look and then we'll talk about it on the other side. >> you went to the g20 and you met for the first time face-to-face with vladim

the fbi only recently learned about this meeting with the russian lawyer. other meetings that investigators have not yet uncovered? >> i believe very strongly, wolf, that there are a trove of additional e-mails bearing on criminal intent, on the substantive criminal actions that may well have taken place, and the reports that provide public confirmation of this kind of suspected activity, i think, will ailed the investigators, if only because they are likely to precipitate cooperation by other potential subjects or targets of the investigation, knowing that progress is being made. a lot of the progress of the investigation will depend on the momentum that it has. these kinds of disclosed reports will aid in that momentum. they will also, very importantly, aid in our efforts here on capitol hill to persuade the president to support a sanction order or our colleagues on the house side to support a le legislation that's already been passed by the senate, overwhelmlying, a 98-2 vote for sanctions, greatly increased sanctions and codified sanctions against the r

but the fbi person really reports directly to the president of the united states. h is interesting. you know, which is interesting. and i think we're going to have a great new fbi director. the president appearing to suggest in this "new york times" interview while threatening the attorney general, and deputy attorney general, would just report directly to him. joining us is matthew miller. mr. miller, thank you for being with us tonight. i really appreciate you being here. >> thank you. >> first let me just ask your top line reaction to what the president has said tonight about the entire senior leadership of the justice department, the fbi, and the special counsel's investigation. >> you know, i think it's a stunning attack not just on jeff sessions and rod rosenstein, it's an attack on the rule of law in the united states and whether the justice department conduct investigations independent from presidential interference. the president's been very clear that he doesn't believe in that, doesn't think they should. i think it's incumbent upon the attorney general no

coming up, when should a campaign call the fbi? mp's nominee to be the next fbi director was grilled today over donald trump jr.'s meeting. i'm going to talk to a former top fbi official about his answer next. more kinds of crab than ever, new dishes, and all your favorites. only while crabfest lasts. red lobster. now this is seafood. binders, done. super-cool notebooks, done. that's mom taking care of business. but who takes care of mom? office depot/office max. this week, get this ream of paper for just one cent after rewards. ♪ taking care of business. we dei should know.m our eyes every day. i have chronic dry eye caused by reduced tear production due to inflammation. so i use restasis multidose. it helps me make more of my own tears, with continued use, twice a day, every day. restasis multidose helps increase your eyes' natural ability to produce tears, which may be reduced by inflammation due to chronic dry eye. restasis multidose did not increase tear production in patients using anti-inflammatory eye drops or tear duct plug

he publicly attacks the acting fbi director, having fired the real fbi director. he attacks the special counsel who is responsible for the russia investigation, and not merely him, but the career and staff level members of his team k. and so,up, under those circumstances i think you really have to ask what is the mechanism by which who is going to defend the integrity of federal law enforcement. it's not going to be the attorney general. it's not really going to be the deputy attorney general. the special counsel can't do it because it would be inappropriate for him to talk about things in public. the acting fbi director is just an acting -- he's been really kour ages and he's been a first-rate individual, but he's just the acting fbi director. so who is it, who is supposed to speak for federal law enforcement and for the integrity of the men and women who carry out our laws every day? >> ben, you're really close with james comey. there was an interesting portion of the new york times interview where it seems like are the president is saying that james comey was tr

additionally the fbi welcomes the oversight by the fisa court. we welcome the oversight by this and our other oversight committees, the inspector general and the doj and odni. it's critical to ensure we have other eyes. with this opinion, two issues identified. the first issue involved evidence of a crime query that the court focused on and there was an issue with respect to reporting that particular matter in a timely fashion. we had a situation where a national security analyst was conducting a query against 702 collection. during the course of that query, identified potential evidence of a crime involving child abuse. in following up, trying to determine if there was any other information with respect to that incident, conducted a second query, which could be considered a query searching for evidence of a crime. no additional information was found by that analyst. ultimately that information was passed to the appropriate authorities to ensure the victim child was protected in that particular case. there was an issue with reporting that particu

so his own nominee to head the fbi disagrees with him. but look, there's no question just in terms of the atmospherics that this has had a very big impact on the sort of vibe inside the white house. one source told our colleagues that it was paralyzed. i spoke to a source tonight who said that is diminishing a little bit, as the time has gone on, particularly since they are kind of breathing a sigh of relief that they are hoping to change the subject by the president lifting off to go to paris to have a very important bilateral meeting, and they hope that is going to be a way for them to change the subject. but other times they've tried to change the subject, other shoes have dropped. they're hoping that doesn't happen this time. >> sarah huckabee sanders was asked about this notion of the white house being under political siege. i want to play a bit of that. >> the president wants to be focused on his agenda, and he would much rather be talking about health care, tax reform, national security. i think that's his focus, and when he's think

the fbi is in position to capture all of these illegals at once. president left the canadian airspace and then we moved on that sunday night. with the travelocity customer first guarantee... your only worry... will be that one... rogue... cloud. get help with hotels, free twenty-four-hour flight changes, and our price match guarantee. travelocity.® wander wisely.™ peobut they're different.ind it's nice to remove artificial ingredients. kind never had to. we choose real ingredients like almonds, peanuts and a drizzle of dark chocolate. give kind a try. ♪ introducing the easiest way to get gillette blades noo text "blades" to gillette on demand text to reorder blades with gillette on demand... ...and get $3 off your first order fothere's a seriousy boomers virus out there that's been almost forgotten. it's hepatitis c. one in 30 boomers has hep c, yet most don't even know it. because it can hide in your body for years without symptoms, and it's not tested for in routine blood work. the cdc recommends all baby boomers get tested. if you have hep c, it

they both knew they were under surveillance bill the fbi. their family was trying very hard to break up the relationship, as was inga's second husband. and so finally he pressure was too much and jack kennedy said they would have to end the relationship and inga was heartbroken. a week later jack kennedy calls up and says, maybe we can get together this weekend. she said, wait a minute. you have already made clear we have no future and if marriage is not an option, love you, always care about you but we're done. and so jack kennedy wasn't a guy to take no for an answer so periodically over the next several years he would try to rekindle the relationship. try to get the romance going and inga was glad to see him but said, no, time to move on. they had one sort of final get-together after he was elected in congress in 1946. he was just elect stead congress and she was in an odd place in her life and they'd had one more romantic interlude and never saw each other. inga married for a third time and so their lives juster kind of die verballed. the

the fbi is equally committed to working with other u.s. government components, the private sector and foreign partners to do the same. in closing, thank you very much for holding this hearing. as doing so raises awareness of the counterintelligence threat and one of the tools that can be used to fight it. >> thank you, now mr. horowitz. >> thank you mr. chairman, ranking member feinstein, members of the committee. thank you for inviting me to testify at today's hearing. the foreign agents registration act is an important statute that congress passed to ensure that the people of the united states are informed of attempts by foreign principals to influence u.s. public opinion, policy, and laws. in september 2016, my office issued an audit report on the department's efforts to enforce fara and its administration and monitoring of fara registrations. we found that the number of fara registrations has declined significantly over the last two decades and that criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions are rare. additionally, we determine

but the fbi person really reports directly to the president of the united states. which is interesting. you know, which is interesting. and i think we're going to have a great new fbi director. even the "times" reporter maggie haberman says chris wray and the president says he's highly thought of by everybody. chris wray, the president's nominee to head up the fbi, he mostly everybody, if not everybody. but if he is being nominated to run the fbi by a president who is arguing overtly that the director of the fbi works for him directly and reports to him directly, a president who is now arguing that the fbi should basically be the president's agency and should no longer seen as part of the justice department, that is kind of blood chilling. i mean, did christopher wray accept this nomination from the president on those terms? when he accepted this nomination from the president, was it with the understanding that this is the way the president sees the fbi, because the president is now saying publicly that as far as he's concerned the fbi reports direct to him. the fbi

of the fbi. —— selfless patriotism. distract the selfless patriotism of the fbi. -- selfless patriotismsoft ball, and they probably are. but i think that they probably are. but i think that they are very important to every member of this committee, particularly when they have an administration that says democrats can't get answers to the questions when they do their oversight work or even the republicans are on chairman of committees, they can't get a nswe rs of committees, they can't get a nswers to of committees, they can't get answers to their questions. and things like the roles of was a blowers, there may not sound things that are basically your job, blowers, there may not sound things that are basically yourjob, but it is basic to the cost at usual principle that we have, the separation of powers and the constitutional role of congress. so the first one, we've has a lot about the first one, we've has a lot about the need for the fbi to show independence. the senatorjoe spoke of that. and also for the fbi to make decisions free of political pressure influence. sigh won registered a

you have the acting director of the fbi. ok over when comey was pushed out and was fired. he is under investigation for from the doj, and the money his wife got and special council for violation of the hatch act. >> lou: they are not only connikts of investigation but investigations of fbi comey's and his judgment and failure to act seems to be reasonably appropriate. sarah carter, great reporting and we appreciate you being here. >> thank you, lou. >> lou: up next, a report on north carolina terrorism and a harrowing look in his newest book. ro get gleson talks about the new book and "into the safe drivers who switch to esurance could save money on car insurance. you know, the kind of driver who always buckles up... comes to a complete stop... and looks both ways, no matter what. because esurance believes that's the kind of driver who deserves to save money on car insurance. in fact, safe drivers who switch from geico to esurance could save hundreds. so if you switch to esurance, saving is a pretty safe bet. auto and home in

so the fbi is in a position to capture all of these illegals at once. clusion of the summit in canada. we waited till the russian president had left canadian air space, and then we moved on that sunday night. people confuse nice and kind but they're different. it's nice to remove artificial ingredients. kind never had to. we choose real ingredients like almonds, peanuts and a drizzle of dark chocolate. give kind a try. ♪ your only worry...ty customer first guarantee... will be that one... rogue... cloud. get help with hotels, free twenty-four-hour flight changes, and our price match guarantee. travelocity.® wander wisely.™ adult 7+ promotes alertness and mental sharpness in dogs 7 and older. (ray) the difference has been incredible. she is much more aware. she wants to learn things. (vo) purina pro plan bright mind. nutrition that performs. anyone who calls it a hobby doesn't understand. we know that a person's passion is what drives them. [ clapping ] and that's why every memorial we create is a true reflection of the individual. only a dignity memorial

you have the acting director of the fbi. r when comey was pushed out and was fired. he is under investigation for from the doj, and the money his wife got and special council for violation of the hatch act. >> lou: they are not only connikts of investigation but investigations of fbi comey's and his judgment and failure to act seems to be reasonably appropriate. sarah carter, great reporting and we appreciate you being here. >> thank you, lou. >> lou: up next, a report on north carolina terrorism and a harrowing look in his newest book. ro get gleson talks about the new book and "into the [vo] when it comes to investing, looking from a fresh perspective can make all the difference. it can provide what we call an unlock: a realization that often reveals a better path forward. at wells fargo, it's our expertise in finding this kind of insight that has lead us to become one of the largest investment and wealth management firms in the country. discover how we can help find your unlock. introducing the new sleep number 360™ smart

you have the acting director of the fbi. out and was fired. he is under investigation for from the doj, and the money his wife got and special council for violation of the hatch act. >> lou: they are not only connikts of investigation but investigations of fbi comey's and his judgment and failure to act seems to be reasonably appropriate. sarah carter, great reporting and we appreciate you being here. >> thank you, lou. >> lou: up next, a report on north carolina terrorism and a harrowing look in his newest book. ro get gleson talks about the new book and "into the >> lou: in our on line poll, we asked do you believe that majority mccon and speaker ryan are capable of delivering a health care victory for president trump. 69 percent of you say no they are not. and the odds seem to be supporting your vote. we'll see how it unfolds. a good test will be the next 48 hours. a new thriller to tell you tonight. warning of an impending nuclear holocaust and it is entitled "and into the fire". congratulations on the book. bob gleson is

the fbi choice to leave offers independence for the white house and support for the special counsel in the russia investigation. >>> furious and frustrated gop insiders say the president is blaming his enemies for the fire storm surrounding his son. mr. trump is speaking out tonight about donald junior's e-mail exchanges and his meeting with the russian lawyer. >>> party fears, more republicans speaking out about the don junior drama urging another shoe could drop at any moment. one top gop senator is threatening to subpoena a key player in the controversy. >>> they are hours away from unveiling new health care legislation with members of their own party in revolt. the august recess on hold. will it revive hopes for passage or be dead on arrival? we want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and around the world. wolf blitzer is off. i'm jim accosta. you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news tonight, president trump is speaking out about the new russia controversy surrounding his son. mr. trump says he was unaware of donald tru

you have the acting director of the fbi. as pushed out and was fired. he is under investigation for from the doj, and the money his wife got and special council for violation of the hatch act. >> lou: they are not only connikts of investigation but investigations of fbi comey's and his judgment and failure to act seems to be reasonably appropriate. sarah carter, great reporting and we appreciate you being here. >> thank you, lou. >> lou: up next, a report on north carolina terrorism and a harrowing look in his newest book. ro get gleson talks about the new book and "into the liberty mutual stood with us when a fire destroyed everything in our living room. we replaced it all without touching our savings. yeah, our insurance won't do that. no. you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. the toothpaste that helps new parodontax. prevent bleeding gums. if you spit blood when you brush or floss you may have gum problems and could be on the journey to much worse. help stop the journey of gum