Title: Special Counsel John Durham Testifies on Capitol Hill After Scathing Report
Date: June 21, 2023
Author: Caitlin Yilek
Special counsel John Durham, who conducted an investigation into the origins of the FBI’s probe into possible links between Russia and former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, testified before Congress this week following the release of his controversial report. Durham appeared before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday in a closed-door session and is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning in a public session.
During his testimony, Durham emphasized the sobering findings of his investigation, stating that as a prosecutor with over 40 years of experience, the findings were particularly concerning to him. House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner revealed that Durham believes there was misconduct in the FBI’s handling of the investigation, both on an individual and systemic level. Turner also highlighted the need for reforms to prevent potential misconduct in future investigations involving political candidates.
Durham, a career federal prosecutor and Justice Department official, was appointed as the Connecticut U.S. attorney in 2019 by then-Attorney General William Barr to examine the FBI’s decision to open an investigation into the Trump campaign. He was later elevated to special counsel and allowed to continue his probe under the Biden administration.
Throughout the four-year investigation, Trump and his allies expressed confidence that Durham’s findings would prove that the FBI unfairly targeted him. In May, Durham released a 316-page report that criticized the FBI, citing “confirmation bias” among agents and stating that the basis for opening the investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia was “seriously flawed.”
The report concluded that there was no actual evidence of collusion in the possession of U.S. law enforcement or the Intelligence Community at the start of the investigation. The report also echoed details from the Justice Department inspector general’s 2019 investigation, which identified procedural errors but found no evidence of political bias at the FBI.
Durham’s investigation resulted in three prosecutions. Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith pleaded guilty to doctoring an email submitted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court as part of an application to surveil former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Prominent Democratic lawyer Michael Sussmann was acquitted on charges of lying to investigators about his ties to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Russian analyst Igor Danchenko was also acquitted on charges of lying to investigators about the sources of information he provided to Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence officer behind the controversial dossier about Trump and Russia.
Moving forward, Durham recommended in his report that a career official be assigned to challenge politically sensitive surveillance applications by the FBI. Details of any additional recommendations made by Durham during his closed-door hearing with the House Intelligence Committee have not been disclosed.
As Durham’s testimony continues to unfold, it remains to be seen what impact his findings and recommendations will have on future investigations and the broader political landscape.Title: Special Counsel John Durham Testifies on FBI’s Trump-Russia Investigation Origins
Date: June 21, 2023
Author: Caitlin Yilek
Special counsel John Durham, who conducted an investigation into the origins of the FBI’s probe into possible links between Russia and former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, testified before Congress this week. Durham’s testimony comes after the release of his controversial report, which shed light on the FBI’s decision to open the investigation.
Durham appeared before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday in a closed-door session, where he discussed reforms and ways to prevent potential misconduct in future investigations involving political candidates. House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner stated that Durham believes there was misconduct, both individualized and systemic, and emphasized the need for changes to prevent such occurrences in the future.
A career federal prosecutor and Justice Department official, Durham was appointed by then-Attorney General William Barr in 2019 to examine the FBI’s decision to investigate the Trump campaign. He was later elevated to special counsel and allowed to continue his probe under the Biden administration.
Throughout the four-year investigation, Trump and his allies expressed confidence that Durham’s findings would prove the FBI unfairly targeted him. In May, Durham released a 316-page report critical of the FBI, citing “confirmation bias” among agents and stating that the basis for opening the investigation was “seriously flawed.”
Durham’s report highlighted that there was no actual evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia at the start of the investigation. The report also echoed findings from the Justice Department inspector general’s 2019 investigation, which identified procedural errors but concluded that there was no “political bias” at the FBI.
Despite the extensive investigation, only three prosecutions resulted from Durham’s probe. Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith pleaded guilty to doctoring an email submitted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Prominent Democratic lawyer Michael Sussmann was acquitted on charges of lying to investigators about his ties to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and Russian analyst Igor Danchenko was acquitted of lying to investigators about the sources of information he provided to Christopher Steele, the author of the controversial dossier on Trump and Russia.
Moving forward, Durham recommended in his report that a career official be assigned to challenge politically sensitive surveillance applications by the FBI. Details of additional recommendations made by Durham during his closed-door hearing with the House Intelligence Committee were not disclosed.
Durham’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee took place on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at 9 a.m. It was streamed live on CBS News’ website and mobile platforms.
In conclusion, Special Counsel John Durham’s testimony shed light on the FBI’s investigation into possible links between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. His report highlighted misconduct and flaws in the investigation, while also emphasizing the need for reforms to prevent future misconduct. The testimony and report have sparked discussions about the role of law enforcement in politically sensitive investigations and the potential impact on political and electoral outcomes.
What were the procedural errors identified by Durham’s report in the investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia?
D.”
Durham’s report concluded that there was no actual evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia at the start of the investigation. However, it did identify procedural errors and criticized the basis for opening the investigation as “seriously flawed.” The report echoed similar findings from a 2019 investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general, which found procedural errors but no evidence of political bias at the FBI.
As a result of Durham’s investigation, three individuals faced legal consequences. Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith pleaded guilty to doctoring an email submitted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in relation to the surveillance of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Democratic lawyer Michael Sussmann was acquitted on charges of lying to investigators about his ties to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Russian analyst Igor Danchenko was also acquitted on charges of lying to investigators about the sources of information he provided.
Durham’s report included recommendations for reform, such as assigning a career official to challenge politically sensitive surveillance applications. The details of any additional recommendations made by Durham during his closed-door hearing with the House Intelligence Committee have not been disclosed.
Durham’s testimony before Congress is expected to provide further insight into his findings and recommendations. It remains to be seen what impact these will have on future investigations and the broader political landscape.
Special Counsel John Durham’s testimony on the controversial report into the FBI’s Trump investigation offers new insights into the probe. It’s crucial to carefully analyze the findings to ensure transparency and accountability in our justice system.
This article provides valuable insights into Special Counsel John Durham’s testimony regarding the controversial report on the FBI’s investigation into Trump. It sheds light on the complexities surrounding the investigation, allowing readers to better understand the implications and potential ramifications of Durham’s findings.