Throughout the years, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz earned a reputation as an impartial referee on some of the thorniest political issues in Washington.
His watchdog office debunked conspiracy theories about the 2021 Capitol riot, examined the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server and uncovered issues in the FBI’s counterintelligence probe of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Now, with Trump’s return, his office is once again being asked to wade into the high-profile mesh of politics and federal law enforcement as he faces new calls to investigate Trump administration moves that have rocked the Department of Justice.
As Democrats call for the watchdog to investigate key DOJ figures such as Attorney General Pamela Bondi and acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, Horowitz will operate during an administration that has shown hostility to inspectors general.
The Trump administration fired a slate of inspectors general within the opening days of Trump’s new presidential term. When Trump was asked about the actions, the president was quick to mention that Horowitz was still in office.
“Michael Horowitz, we’re keeping,” Trump said on Air Force One, according to a transcript, adding that one of the watchdog reports on former FBI Director James Comey was “such an accurate, well-done report.”
“Michael Horowitz wrote the definitive report on James Comey and the FBI. It really got that going,” Trump said, according to the transcript.
In many cases, the watchdog office has examined topics that cut across the political aisle or delivered reports on issues that are prominent but not associated with harsh partisan politics.
One report found that congressional staffers working for members of both parties had their electronic records sought by the Justice Department in leak investigations. Another report blasted the FBI’s handling of sexual abuse allegations against disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar, a scandal that prompted bipartisan outrage.
And in the high-profile review of the Clinton probe, Horowitz’s office found Comey was not driven by politics when he broke with DOJ procedures and norms. But, according to the report, his decisions still damaged the perception of the FBI and the Justice Department and usurped the authority of the attorney general.
Jim Townsend, director of the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, said the longtime DOJ inspector general could be on a “collision course” because of the moves the Trump administration has made so far.
“He is somebody who has been at the job for a long time, tackling really difficult investigations that have had political implications, and he has come through those investigations with people of all political stripes recognizing the quality and impartiality of his work,” Townsend said.
Will Horowitz’s reputation be enough to protect him down the road? Townsend said he doesn’t know the answer. But if there’s one person who can stand up to the pressure, the attacks and the difficult environment created by the firing of inspectors general, it’s Horowitz, Townsend said.
“And that’s because he has this deep well of respect on both sides of the aisle,” Townsend said. “So if there is a person who can handle it, he would be the person.”
A group of Senate Democrats this month called for Horowitz to investigate Bondi and Bove after the department ordered an acting U.S. attorney to dismiss criminal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, which prompted the resignation of multiple prosecutors.
“It is clear that Attorney General Bondi and Mr. Bove’s directive to drop this case was for the express purpose of furthering President Trump’s political agenda,” the Senate Democrats wrote.
Days before that letter, Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Horowitz implying he should investigate accusations that FBI Director Kash Patel had acted behind the scenes to direct a “purge” of career officials at the FBI, despite not yet being sworn into office as the agency’s leader.
Earlier this month, a group of House Democrats sent a letter asking Horowitz to open an investigation into Bove and Edward Martin, the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. The lawmakers argued that Bove’s current office has been tasked with participating in the “Weaponization Working Group,” which has been ordered to examine actions by former special counsel Jack Smith and his staff.
A spokesperson for Horowitz declined to comment on whether the office has opened any investigations into the issues outlined in the letters.
Horowitz was sworn in as inspector general in 2012 under the Obama administration. He previously had been appointed by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Sentencing Commission as a commissioner.
In part, the power of Horowitz’s office lies in its public reports, where the watchdog can offer a window into some of the otherwise hidden actions inside the Justice Department. And findings from his office can reverberate on Capitol Hill for years after they’ve been published, cited by lawmakers in committee hearings, floor speeches and interviews.
Last month, during the confirmation hearing for Patel, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., referenced Horowitz’s high-profile 2019 report on the “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation into whether people associated with Trump’s 2016 campaign were coordinating with the Russian government.
The report found the FBI had enough evidence to start a criminal probe into members of that campaign, and the review concluded that political bias did not motivate the decision, which cut against some of the sweeping criticisms from Trump and congressional allies.
But the report also raised “significant concerns” with how the FBI handled aspects of the investigation, in particular how applications to surveil former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page were handled.
“The Horowitz investigation, the inspector general, [labeled] this fraudulent at its core, mismanaged at its core,” Graham said.
At a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing days after the report’s release, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Horowitz that the bipartisan praise he received was “well deserved.”
“And I share those sentiments. The release of this report is an important step in providing the public answers to many of the questions that have festered for far too long,” Johnson said.
In an interview last month, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., described Horowitz as a “true balls-and-strikes kind of guy.”
“There are very few people who have transcended administration, Democrat and Republican, that I think are … as consistent as him,” Tillis said.
In a 2023 appropriations hearing, Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., who leads the House Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee, praised Horowitz, saying he valued his efforts to promote integrity and efficiency at the department.
“And this subcommittee, having worked with you for many years now, can attest that you lead by example,” Rogers said. “Having led your office for over a decade now, you’ve proven yourself to be effective, impartial and dedicated to your work.”
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