In a way, the inspector general's report on FBI behavior during the 2016 election sort of resembles the conclusions James Comey drew as he closed the email case on Hillary Clinton, filing no charges: baffling.

How can a 500-page report that contains so much politically damaging material somehow lead its authors to conclude that there was "no political bias" in anything the FBI did in that time period?  After the insane, power-mad posts FBI chief counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok made to his married girlfriend at the time, attorney Lisa Page?  Or the boiling left-wingery of maybe five other FBI agents, who deserve to be named, expressing contempt for America's voters, those same American voters they happen to be sworn to protect and defend?  The ones who write their paychecks and entrust them with vast power?

It makes no sense – except when we learn that James Comey and his subordinates expected Hillary Clinton to win the presidency and conducted their actions accordingly, not wanting to incur the candidate's famous wrath.

The American Spectator has an important piece, arguing that the same dynamic seems to be at work in the inspector general's report.  The mealy-mouthed conclusions it reaches, after a mountain of evidence laid out suggesting something sinister, is likely because DoJ officials are afraid of the FBI, argues David Catron, in his piece titled "Why the OIG Report Should Scare the Hell Out of You."  He writes:

The Justice Department's tepid OIG report, with its risible assertion that there was no political bias in the FBI's Clinton email probe, suggests that it was written by people afraid to tell the unvarnished truth about the conduct of the federal government's police apparatus, an agency that openly defies congressional oversight and has participated in a vendetta against a sitting president.  The FBI's leadership clearly hopes that the Democrats will win majorities in Congress and put a halt to the investigations into its multifarious abuses of power.  The OIG is loath to face the ruthless reprisals that would inevitably follow such a disaster.  In other words, the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General is filled with people who fear the FBI.  Think about that for a minute.  What is the usual term for a government whose members live in fear of its police arm?  Ronald Reagan famously said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."  The OIG report suggests that its demise may be only one election away.

He concludes that the DoJ is acting in a cowardly way because the FBI minions are expecting Democrats to take back the House and Senate and from there will go full bore against their enemies, spying, investigating, and charging, with Trump-unhinged Democrats cheering.

Two conclusions can be drawn from readers who don't like this state of affairs: the FBI is overdue for a hosing out, and Christopher Wray has got to either do it or get fired.  Second, Republicans must redouble their efforts to retain control of Congress, given the threat to the republic from this.  It's serious.

Read the whole thing.