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“I think spying did occur,” Barr said during the explosive hearing before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee. “The question is whether it was adequately predicated. …Spying on a political campaign is a big deal.”

Barr later clarified in the hearing: “I am not saying that improper surveillance occurred; I’m saying that I am concerned about it and looking into it, that’s all.”

Despite mounting evidence that the FBI pursued an array of efforts to gather intelligence from within the Trump campaign — and the fact that the FBI successfully pursued warrants to surveil a former Trump aide in 2016 — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told Fox News that Barr’s loyalties were compromised.

COMEY MEMOS CONTAINED FAR MORE CLASSIFIED INFO THAN PREVIOUSLY KNOWN

“He is acting as an employee of the president,” Hoyer said. “I believe the Attorney General believes he needs to protect the president of the United States.”

Added House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in an interview with the Associated Press: “I don’t trust Barr, I trust Mueller.” And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accused Barr on Twitter of “peddling conspiracy theories.”

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., added in a statement that Barr “should not casually suggest that those under his purview engaged in ‘spying’ on a political campaign.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., walks to a Democratic Caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 26, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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“This type of partisan talking point may please Donald Trump, who rails against a ‘deep state coup,'” Schiff said, “but it also strikes another destructive blow to our democratic institutions. The hardworking men and women at the DOJ and FBI deserve better.”

Barr’s comments, and the ensuing semantic hullabaloo, followed a new report that the Justice Department’s internal watchdog is scrutinizing the role of an FBI informant who contacted members of the Trump campaign during the 2016 election, as part of a broader review of the early stages of the Russia investigation.

The New York Times reported that Justice Department Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz is looking into informant Stefan Halper’s work during the Russia probe, as well as his work with the FBI prior to the start of that probe.

FBI BLAMES SYSTEM-WIDE SOFTWARE GLITCH FOR MISSING TEXTS; STRZOK’S TEXTS FROM MUELLER PROBE TOTALLY WIPED

Trump, for his part, has vowed to release surveillance warrant applications used to monitor his former aide, Carter Page, beginning in October 2016. The FBI’s partisan sources in those applications have come under scrutiny, and FBI text messages obtained by Fox News show high-level concerns at the DOJ as to the credibility of sources presented to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court.

Page was never charged with any wrongdoing.

A separate DOJ IG investigation into potential FISA abuses by the FBI, which is expected to look at whether the bureau improperly presented misleading sources or withheld exculpatory information in its presentations to the FISA court, is ongoing. Barr said that review is likely to be completed by May or June.

In particular, the FBI assured the FISA court on numerous occasions — in the October 2016 warrant application and in subsequent renewals — that other sources, including a Yahoo News article, independently corroborated Steele’s claims, without evidence to back it up. It later emerged that Steele was also the source of the Yahoo News article, written by reporter Michael Isikoff.

The FBI also quoted directly from a disputed Washington Post opinion piece to argue that Trump’s views on providing lethal arms to Ukraine, and working toward better relations with Russia, was a possible indicator that the campaign had been compromised.

Trump’s policy on Ukraine weapons at the time mirrored then-President Obama’s policy, and the FBI did not present an independent assessment of the accuracy of the Post piece in its warrant application.

FOX NEWS EXCLUSIVE: INTERNAL FBI TEXTS SHOW DOJ WARNED FBI ABOUT BIAS IN KEY FISA SOURCE

Still, Schiff and Hoyer were joined by other Democrats who pushed back against Barr’s comments.

Rudy Giuliani@RudyGiuliani

Jerry Nadler is lashing out personally because on national tv it was easy to expose his bias.Jerry’s diarrhea of the mouth produced a year of statements showing pre-judgement.His lack of judiciousness was evident when he was overheard on Amtrak prematurely planning impeachment.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., for example, told Fox News that Barr’s vow to probe the FBI’s 2016 counterintelligence probe amounted to nothing more than “Republican conspiracy theory nonsense.”

He also characterized Barr’s statements as an “effort to divert attention” from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s full report, which Barr said will be released within a week. Mueller’s investigation ended last month without securing the indictment of a single American for collusion with Russia or obstruction of justice, “despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign.”

In a tweet late Wednesday, Trump personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani condemned Nadler’s “diarrhea of the mouth,” and referenced a report last year that Nadler was overheard on a train discussing his plans to impeach the president.

“His lack of judiciousness was evident when he was overheard on Amtrak prematurely planning impeachment,” Giuliani wrote.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler D-NY, speaks during a House Judiciary Committee debate to subpoena Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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Halper, an American professor who reportedly is deeply connected with British and American intelligence agencies, has been widely reported as a confidential source for the FBI during the bureau’s original investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. That official counterintelligence operation was opened by then-senior agent Peter Strzok, who has since been fired from the bureau.

During the 2016 campaign, Halper contacted several members of the Trump campaign, including Page and former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos.

“It was an illegal investigation. … Everything about it was crooked,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday, describing it as an attempted “coup” and reiterating his interest in digging into the probe’s origins. “There is a hunger for that to happen.”

Donald J. Trump@realDonaldTrump

So, it has now been determined, by 18 people that truly hate President Trump, that there was No Collusion with Russia. In fact, it was an illegal investigation that should never have been allowed to start. I fought back hard against this Phony & Treasonous Hoax!

Also on Tuesday, Fox News reported that a source said Barr had assembled a “team” to investigate the origins of the bureau’s counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign.

On Wednesday, Barr testified that he hasn’t technically “set up a team” but has colleagues helping him as he reviews the case.

“I think spying did occur.”

— Attorney General Bill Barr

“This is not launching an investigation of the FBI,” he stressed. “Frankly, to the extent there were issues at the FBI, I do not view it as a problem of the FBI. I think it was probably a failure of the group of leaders—the upper echelons of the FBI. I think the FBI is an outstanding organization and I am very pleased Director Chris Wray is there.”

He added, “If it becomes necessary to look over former officials, I expect to rely on Chris and work with him. I have an obligation to make sure government power is not abused and I think that’s one of the principal roles of the attorney general.”

The FBI’s 2016 counterintelligence investigation, formally opened by Strzok, began with a “paucity” of evidence, according to former FBI counsel Lisa Page, with whom Strzok was romantically involved.

During a closed-door congressional interview, Page admitted that the FBI “knew so little” about whether allegations against the Trump campaign were “true or not true” at the time they opened the probe, adding that they had just “a paucity of evidence because we [were] just starting down the path” of vetting allegations.

Former FBI Director James Comey would testify later that when the agency initiated its counterintelligence probe into possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and the Russian government, investigators “didn’t know whether we had anything” and that “in fact, when I was fired as director [in May 2017], I still didn’t know whether there was anything to it.”

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

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• Mr. Barr signaled he was open to sharing more information with lawmakers about the redacted Mueller report than is released to the public and that he “hoped” to make it public “next week.”

• Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary Committee is considering the nomination of Jeffrey A. Rosen, President Trump’s nominee to succeed Rod J. Rosenstein, who appointed and oversaw the special counsel, as deputy attorney general.

Barr will review potential “spying” on the Trump campaign.

With the Russia investigation complete, Mr. Barr said he was preparing to review “both the genesis and the conduct of intelligence activities directed at the Trump campaign,” including possible improper “spying” by American intelligence agencies.

“I think spying on a political campaign is a big deal,” Mr. Barr said, adding that he believed “spying did occur.” Mr. Trump and his allies have accused the F.B.I. and other government officials of abusing their power and cooking up the Russia investigation to sabotage the president.

“I am not suggesting that those rules were violated, but I think it’s important to look at them,” Mr. Barr said. Later he said he wanted to ensure that there was no “improper surveillance” — not suggesting there had been, but that the possibility warranted review.

It was not immediately clear what Mr. Barr was referring to, and he did not present evidence to back up his statement. The F.B.I. obtained a secret surveillance warrant on a former Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page, after he left the campaign, and reports have suggested it used at least one confidential informer to collect information on campaign associates.

Mr. Barr said that he will work with the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, to examine the origins of the bureau’s counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign, and that he would soon set up a team for that effort. He noted that Congress and the Justice Department’s inspector general have already completed investigations of that matter, and that after reviewing those investigations he would be able to see whether there were any “remaining questions to be addressed.”

Barr gave up a few more details about Mueller’s report.

Under intense questioning from Democratic senators, Mr. Barr further pulled back the curtain on the Justice Department’s handling of the special counsel investigation, though only by a few inches.

Mr. Barr shed some additional light on Mr. Mueller’s decision not to reach a prosecutorial decision about whether Mr. Trump criminally obstructed the investigation and his own decision to conclude in his letter to Congress delivering the investigation’s conclusions last month that the evidence did not meet that bar.

Mr. Barr said he had spoken with Mr. Mueller about why he did not reach a decision on obstruction of justice, but declined to offer details of their conversations. The attorney general said that Mr. Mueller did not explicitly ask that Congress be allowed to judge the evidence and decide for itself, nor did he say that the attorney general should.

“But that is generally how the Department of Justice works,” Mr. Barr said, saying that the department’s job is to make prosecutorial decisions — and he had.

“I am looking forward to explaining my decision that I briefly outlined in the March 24 letter, but I don’t think I can do it until the report is out,” he said.

The redacted Mueller report may be released “next week,” Barr says.

On the timing of the redacted report’s release, Mr. Barr said Wednesday that he “hoped” to make it public “next week.” The answer differed slightly from what he told House lawmakers on Tuesday, that he intended to put out the report “within a week.”

He said Justice Department lawyers and members of Mr. Mueller’s team, who are reviewing the report for sensitive information to black out before release, would not remove information that would harm the “reputational interests” of Mr. Trump. Mr. Barr also said that he had not overruled Mr. Mueller’s team on any proposed redactions from the Mueller report, and had not discussed with the White House what he was blacking out.

Barr is willing to work with Congress on redacted information.

Democrats in the House have slammed Mr. Barr for what they view as his refusal to share the investigation’s underlying evidence and material he may redact from the report. But Mr. Barr told senators on Wednesday he would be willing to re-evaluate that decision to try to accommodate lawmakers’ concerns.

“I intend to take up with the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, the chairmen and ranking members of each, what other areas they feel they have a need to have access to the information and see if I can work to accommodate that,” he said.

Democratic lawmakers argue that they need such material so they can fully understand the implications of Mr. Mueller’s findings and judge whether or not Mr. Barr had fairly represented what was found. In the House, they have already approved a subpoena to issue to try to compel the release of this kind of information.

Barr again refused to say if he had briefed the White House.

Mr. Barr again declined to say whether he had briefed the White House on the fuller Mueller report, even though Justice Department officials had previously said it had not been shown to the White House.

His refusal to say one way or the other raised the possibility that since then, the Justice Department may have briefed Mr. Trump or his inner circle about its contents.

“I’m landing the plane right now,” Mr. Barr said under Democratic questioning. “I have been willing to discuss my letter and the process going forward. The report is going to be out next week and I’m not just going into the details of the process.”

Trump says there is nothing to clear up: “I won.”

Interest in the report remains intense among congressional lawmakers. President Trump, not so much.

Speaking to reporters as he left the White House on Wednesday, the president slammed the investigation as an illegal “attempted coup.” But he said he had “won” and could care less about the report itself.

“I have not seen the Mueller report,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “I have not read the Mueller report. I won. No collusion, no obstruction. I won. Everybody knows I won.”

He continued: “As far as I’m concerned I don’t care about the Mueller report. I’ve been totally exonerated.”

The report, which runs nearly 400 pages, is likely to be less black and white. Mr. Barr has said Mr. Mueller did not find the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to undermine the 2016 election, but he has said that the special counsel’s team did not reach a prosecutorial decision about whether Mr. Trump criminally obstructed the investigation. Mr. Barr, assessing the evidence for himself, concluded the evidence did not meet that bar.

Rosen vows to keep politics from improperly influencing his decisions

Meanwhile, at the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Mr. Rosen, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, pressed the nominee to commit to allowing all pending criminal matters related to the special counsel’s investigation to proceed without improper political interference.

“If I am confirmed, I would expect in all prosecutorial matters to proceed on the facts and the law and not any improper political influences,” Mr. Rosen replied.

Ms. Klobuchar did not name which matters she had in mind, though several cases are still working their way through the court system. But Mr. Mueller’s office obtained the indictment of Roger J. Stone Jr., a longtime informal adviser to President Trump, and is handing that matter off to regular prosecutors to bring to trial. The Mueller team also investigated other matters, like the finances of the Trump inauguration committee, which continue to be investigated elsewhere.

Rosen defends his role in the Trump administration’s fuel efficiency proposal

Under questioning by Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, Mr. Rosen defended his role in crafting a Trump administration proposal on tailpipe pollution rules. Ms. Feinstein referred to a New York Times article that portrayed him as pushing to let cars emit more greenhouse gases. Mr. Rosen said the article had several errors, although he did not identify them.

He also said the issue was how to implement a law that required annual increases in fuel economy standards through 2020, and then set criteria for decisions about whether to require any further escalations in the years after that. The Trump administration, he said, was merely proposing a “time out” after 2020.

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