The Note: Investigating the Investigators

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January 13, 2017

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Investigating the Investigators

Watchdog Launches Investigation Into Pre-Election Actions of FBI, DOJ

The Department of Justice inspector general's office announced Thursday that it will launch a review of the actions taken by the FBI and DOJ ahead of November's election in connection to the Hillary Clinton email investigation. The inspector general will look at whether FBI Director James Comey's press conference and notifications to Congress prior to the election were appropriate under DOJ guidelines, reports ABC's GENEVA SANDS and MIKE LEVINE. Specifically, the watchdog will look into allegations that DOJ or FBI "policies or procedures were not followed" and whether certain underlying investigative decisions "were based on improper considerations." http://abcn.ws/2j5i1Mr

Trump's CIA Pick: 'Pretty Clear' Russia Was Behind Election Hacks

President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the CIA made clear Thursday that he was convinced Russia had launched a massive cyber campaign to influence the U.S. presidential election. "It's pretty clear about what took place, about Russian involvement in efforts to hack information and have an impact on American democracy," Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kansas, told the Senate Intelligence Committee as it considers his nomination. "It is something that America needs to take seriously." ABC's MIKE LEVINE has more: http://abcn.ws/2j4O1Af

Powerhouse Politics - Franken: 'You Can't Rely on Anything' Trump Says on Russia

Democratic Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota says he doesn't trust what President-elect Donald Trump says about the role that Russia played during the 2016 presidential campaign. "The Russians had said that, right after the election, that they had been meeting regularly with people from the campaign," Franken told ABC's JONATHAN KARL and RICK KLEIN on the "Powerhouse Politics" podcast. "Now, you can't trust anything the Russians say. But on the other hand, it's really hard to trust anything that Donald Trump says ... you can't rely on anything he says." ABC's RYAN STRUYK has more. http://abcn.ws/2jBzawi LISTEN to the podcast here: http://apple.co/21V9721

'This Week' on This Week

With just days until Donald Trump's inauguration, the Powerhouse Roundtable debates the week in politics, with Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher, author of the new book "A Black Man In the White House," Republican strategist and CNBC contributor Sara Fagen, ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl, ABC News contributor and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, and editor and publisher of The Nation Katrina vanden Heuvel.