Former acting AG calls Whitaker says upcoming IG report 'most consequential' in many years

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Barr drops hints DOJ IG report on Russia probe 'imminent'

Former acting attorney general Matt Whitaker on the anticipation over the release of the inspector general's report.

Former Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker called the forthcoming report on the Justice Department watchdog's investigation into the Russia probe "one of the most consequential reports we've had in many years" Friday, adding that he thinks Americans will be "troubled" by what the report says.

"I think it's going to demonstrate that people took advantage of the [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court] process, where there's no, nobody on the other side to argue in their own interests, "Whitaker said on "The Story with Martha MacCallum." "And I think we're going to learn a lot about not only the Carter Page FISA [warrant] but how they do business generally and ... I think some Americans are going to be troubled by what the inspector general is going to ultimately report."

DISPUTE ERUPTS AS BRENNAN, COMEY APPEAR TO DISPUTE WHO PUSHED THE STEELE DOSSIER

A source told Fox News that DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz's upcoming report on alleged FBI surveillance abuses against the Trump campaign will shed light on why Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham's ongoing probe into potential FBI and Justice Department misconduct in the run-up to the 2016 election through the spring of 2017, has transitioned into a full-fledged criminal investigation.

Whitaker also reacted to an interview clip of former CIA director John Brennan, whose actions during the Obama administration appear to be at the center of the upcoming report.

"I don't think it's surprising at all that we continue to hear these sociopathic ramblings of Mr. Trump claiming that there was this effort to try to prevent him from being elected or to unseat him," Brennan said on MSNBC this past April. "And I welcome any type of, you know, continued ... investigation in terms of what we did during that period of time that we were in government."

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"I watched that interview and I thought he seemed awfully defensive for somebody that should have nothing to be concerned about," Whitaker said of Brennan. "So we're going to see, we're gonna learn a lot in the next couple of weeks."

Fox News' David Montanaro contributed to this report.