Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said Monday that his office received a referral from the FBI about the disclosure of memos written by former FBI Director Jim Comey to the press.
He was asked about the memos — and particularly whether there was an investigation into whether their release transmitted classified information inappropriately — by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) during a committee hearing.
“We received a referral on that from the FBI. We are handling that referral and we will issue a report when the matter is complete, consistent with the law and the rules — a report that is consistent and takes this into account,” Horowitz said.
Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray were in front of the Senate committee to discuss an inspector general report issued last week on actions Comey and others took in the lead-up to the 2016 election, mainly pertaining to the Hillary Clinton probe.
The existence of memos Comey wrote documenting certain interactions with President Trump were disclosed to the New York Times via a friend of the former FBI director. Comey has denied leaking classified information, arguing that the memos in question were unclassified.