Headquarters at the start of their review. They stated that they were instructed not to discuss their review with other FBI employees. The File Review SSAs also told us that they were not told about the text messages between Strzok and Page before the start of the review. Baker told us he was unaware that the File Review SSAs were not told about the text messages before the start of the File Review.
File Review SSAs 2 and 3 told us that they understood the purpose of the review to be to assess what the Midyear investigators appeared to have done well, what investigative steps were missed, and what lessons could be learned from the investigation. File Review SSA 2 stated that the File Review was not intended to be a reinvestigation. The File Review SSAs told us that their review was limited, by design, to the official FBI Midyear file. They did not interview any witnesses nor did they review any documents that were not included in the official file, such as handwritten notes taken by Midyear team members during meetings, emails or text messages sent or received by Midyear team members, or materials maintained by the prosecutors or others Department officials. They also did not review SAP material. File Review SSA 2 told us that the team did not “intend [for the file review] necessarily to be a...final...judgment or indictment on the FBI or on WFO or the case agents. It was more just...here are our observations, and here are some questions...should anyone else...take a look at this...take this into consideration. That's kind of all we intended by it.”
The File Review SSAs told us, consistent with their File Review Report, that they conducted their review over the course of six days, between September 5 and September 8, 2017, and between October 3 and 4, 2017; however, the first day was mostly spent meeting with Ghattas and locating the records to review. They stated that thereafter they spent approximately 12 hours per day reviewing records in the official file, discussing items they came across that caused them concern, and recording information in spreadsheets. File Review SSAs 2 and 3 told us that each File Review SSA focused on a different portion of the file, and none of them individually reviewed the entire file. During the course of their review, in addition to reviewing and discussing the records, the File Review SSAs completed a first draft of the File Review Report, which File Review SSA 1 finalized with minor edits thereafter. The File Review SSAs told us that they all approved the final File Review Report.
Under the heading “FBI Investigative Actions,” the File Review Report stated:
The [File] Review Team’s analysis of the MIDYEAR EXAM investigation did not find substantial or significant areas of investigative oversight based on the stated goals of the investigation. In contrast, [the File Review Team] assessed [that] the [Midyear] investigative team conducted a thorough investigation within the constraints imposed by DOJ. Appropriate witnesses were interviewed, records preserved, information and computer devices obtained, and necessary business records were subpoenaed to meet the goals of the investigation. FBI resources such as [Computer Analysis and Recovery Team (CART) personnel], Intelligence personnel, communication analysis, and Cyber Agents were skillfully and successfully utilized to review and fully
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