Welcome to Thursday, December 12th, dots and lines...

DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz testified that no one was vindicated by his report.

"I think the activities we found here don't vindicate anybody who touched this," Horowitz told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, referencing a celebratory op-ed by former FBI Director James Comey.

Horowitz's report - about alleged surveillance abuse against Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign - found 17 errors and omissions by the FBI but no political bias.

During the hearing, Horowitz reiterated that the decision to initiate the Trump-Russia probe "was in compliance with [DOJ] and FBI policies, and we did not find documentary or testimonial evidence that political bias or improper motivation influenced."

But Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of Trump’s closest allies, gave a blistering 40-minute opening statement where he blasted the bureau.

“My goal is to make sure when this is over... you look at this as more than a few irregularities,” Graham said. “What happened here is the system failed. People at the highest level of our government took the law into their own hands.”

How do you feel about the inspector general's report?

On the Radar

No Witnesses in Impeachment Trial?

Senate Republicans are considering a swift impeachment trial that could include no witnesses for House Democrats or President Trump’s legal team.

Earlier this week, House Democrats announced that they’re moving forward with two articles of impeachment. The House is expected to have the votes to trigger a Senate trial.

“Here’s what I want to avoid: this thing going on longer than it needs to,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told the Washington Examiner. “I want to end this.”

The White House has issued a wish list of witnesses, including House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA); Joe Biden’s son, Hunter; and the whistleblower who set off the impeachment probe.

Trump’s legal team and House Democrats would still be able to request witnesses, but they’d need the backing of 51 senators. (Senate impeachment rules require a majority vote to call witnesses.)

Should the GOP forgo calling witnesses in Trump's impeachment trial?

Under the Radar

Military Funds for Border Wall

A federal judge in Texas has blocked the Trump administration from using $3.6 billion in Pentagon funds to help pay for the construction of a wall on the southern border.

The suit, brought by El Paso County and the Border Network for Human Rights, argued that President Trump overstepped his authority by "declaring a national emergency and violating laws of Congress limiting funds for barriers at the United States-Mexico border."

U.S. District Judge David Briones of El Paso agreed, ruling on Tuesday that the administration’s use of an emergency proclamation to divert the billions of dollars in military funds is unlawful.

Should Trump be allowed to use military funds for a border wall?

Your Gov't At a Glance

The White House: President Trump in D.C.

TBD

The House: In

Voting on the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019

The Senate: In

Voting on the confirmation of John Sullivan to be Ambassador to Russia; Stephen Hahn to be Commissioner of the Food & Drug Administration; Aurelia Skipwith to be Director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service