John Durham releases report concluding FBI should have never launched Trump-Russia probe
The report, spanning over 300 pages, has hit the headlines and is likely to fuel ongoing debates about the conduct of the FBI during that tumultuous political period.
John Durham, the special counsel appointed by the Trump administration, has released a report three years in the making, wherein he asserted that the FBI should never have initiated a full-scale investigation into the supposed links between Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia.
The report, spanning over 300 pages, has hit the headlines and is likely to fuel ongoing debates about the conduct of the FBI during that tumultuous political period.
In the document, Durham claimed that the FBI utilized "raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence," to instigate the "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation into Trump and Russia. He contrasted this with a different standard applied when assessing concerns about alleged election interference in relation to Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Although Durham expressed considerable criticism of the agency's conduct, he refrained from suggesting any new charges against individuals or comprehensive changes to how the FBI manages politically sensitive investigations, CNN reported.
The report stated, "We conclude that the (Justice) Department and FBI failed to uphold their important mission of strict fidelity to the law in connection with certain events and activities described in this report."
The report went on to suggest that there was a predisposition to open an investigation into Trump among certain personnel closely involved in the matter. This conclusion that the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign was unwarranted contrasts with a previous Justice Department inspector general investigation into the FBI’s Russia probe. The latter found issues with the investigation but deemed in December 2019 that there was sufficient reason to launch the inquiry.
On Monday, Attorney General Merrick Garland shared Durham's report with congressional lawmakers and made it publicly available. He noted that the report was submitted in its entirety, “without any additions, redactions, or modifications.”
The report is likely to reignite discussions surrounding Russia, Trump, the FBI, and the 2016 presidential election, particularly given Trump's ongoing campaign efforts.
The investigation, initiated in May 2019 by Trump’s former Attorney General William Barr, was anticipated by Trump and his allies to be a significant inquiry into the investigators, with expectations of major indictments against those who scrutinized the former president.
However, four years later, Durham’s investigation resulted in one minor conviction and two trial losses and fell short of the ambitious objectives set by the former president.
Durham's investigation led to a single conviction: a low-level FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, who admitted to altering an email about a surveillance warrant but avoided jail time. The other two prosecutions, against a Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer and the primary source for the Trump-Russia dossier, concluded with acquittals.
In a response to the report, the FBI stated that it has "already implemented dozens of corrective actions" in response to the conduct investigated by Durham and suggested that had these reforms been in place in 2016, the missteps identified could have been prevented.
Durham's report also criticised the Steele Dossier, a document that had been used by the FBI to strengthen its case for probable cause to secure surveillance warrants against a former Trump campaign adviser.
The dossier contained uncorroborated allegations about Trump's connections to Russia. Durham concluded that the Crossfire Hurricane investigation "did not and could not corroborate any of the substantive allegations" contained in the controversial Steele Dossier.
Despite highlighting numerous instances of perceived FBI failures, Durham did not recommend comprehensive changes or new guidelines for politically sensitive investigations. Instead, he called for "a renewed fidelity" to the existing guidelines and policies of the DOJ and FBI. This report has reignited debates and will undoubtedly continue to stir controversy in the political landscape.
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