Once again the New York Times is getting out ahead of the story to reveal Attorney General Bill Barr has instructed U.S. Attorney John Durham to review the origins of the 2016 DOJ and FBI surveillance of the Trump campaign. [Durham Background Here]
The appointment looks like a way to keep the sensitive inquiry within Barr’s control as opposed to appointing a special counsel. John H Durham, the U.S. attorney from Connecticut, has handled previous investigations into the intelligence community.
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William P. Barr has assigned the top federal prosecutor in Connecticut to examine the origins of the Russia investigation, according to two people familiar with the matter, a move that President Trump has long called for but that could anger law enforcement officials who insist that scrutiny of the Trump campaign was lawful.
John H. Durham, the United States attorney in Connecticut, has a history of serving as a special prosecutor investigating potential wrongdoing among national security officials, including the F.B.I.’s ties to a crime boss in Boston and accusations of C.I.A. abuses of detainees.
His inquiry is the third known investigation focused on the opening of an F.B.I. counterintelligence investigation during the 2016 presidential campaign into possible ties between Russia’s election interference and Trump associates.
The department’s inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, is separately examining investigators’ use of wiretap applications and informants and whether any political bias against Mr. Trump influenced investigative decisions. And John W. Huber, the United States attorney in Utah, has been reviewing aspects of the Russia investigation. His findings have not been announced.
[…] Mr. Durham, who was nominated by Mr. Trump in 2017 and has been a Justice Department lawyer since 1982, has conducted special investigations under administrations of both parties. Attorney General Janet Reno asked Mr. Durham in 1999 to investigate the F.B.I.’s handling of a notorious informant: the organized crime leader James (Whitey) Bulger.
In 2008, Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey assigned Mr. Durham to investigate the C.I.A.’s destruction of videotapes in 2005 showing the torture of terrorism suspects. A year later, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. expanded Mr. Durham’s mandate to also examine whether the agency broke any laws in its abuses of detainees in its custody. (read more)
Again, cautious optimism this appointment is a step in the right direction.
We would be remiss if we didn’t note the prior DOJ head-fake when U.S. Attorney John Laush was assigned to review and deliver documents to congress. That effort resulted in absolutely nothing; the documents were never produced; the redactions were never removed; and the corrupt institutional schemes were unfazed by Laush’s assignment.
@kitt:
By “tinfoil signals” do you mean that you don’t believe that there’s an investigation going on?
@Michael:
I’m not saying that at all, but we (well, some of us) saw absolute proof of a cabal of Trump-haters/Hillary-lovers that expressed very specific views and intentions to do whatever was in their power to, first, keep Trump from winning the election then, when that failed, to make sure he never held power. Now, will you deny that?
Let is also be noted that these people were in the position to use quite a bit of power in order to achieve those ends. So, it wasn’t simply a case of some people with some opinions benignly going about their daily routines.
Though people who are not trying to turn this country in a due left direction mostly appear to have a greater respect for law, order, truth and the Constitution, based on your past support for those who followed their ideology rather than the law, why would this be a problem for you? Based on what you accepted from Mueller’s team and Comey’s actions, Barr should be asking Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Alex Jones who should be on the team, if not they themselves. He could even give them full access to NSA data, like Brennan did his “contractors”. According to the rules you leftists have been more than willing to accept, this would be absolutely fair and unobjectionable. Right?
@Deplorable Me:
Hmmm.
You’re the one who says that Mueller’s team was full of idealogues who were determined to set professionalism aside and undermine our democracy — not I. Again, it’s possible to hate Trump and still act like a professional. Remember that Strzok was removed from the investigation and then fired.
Again, I’m not accepting your premise, so no.
@Michael:
Are you trying to convince us that Mueller was unaware of the connections to the Hillary campaign of his second in command, Andrew Weissman?
Strzok was not removed until the text message between him and his paramour were revealed and even then, he was not fired for a year. And are you trying to convince us that such blatant hatred had by Strzok for Donald Trump was not obvious to those around him?
You must really think we are stupid.
@Deplorable Me, #35:
Really? Trump, on his phone call with Vladimir Putin
Putin sent dozens of Russian troops and military advisers to Venezuela in March. They persuaded Nicolas Maduro not to bug out for Havana at the end of April, which would have been a quick and relatively peaceful end to the Maduro regime. His ride was waiting at the airport. Russia’s interference kept that from happening. That’s according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
@retire05:
Again, it’s possible to hate Trump and still act like a professional when you’re doing your job.
Do you imagine that Mueller did not go through the work Strzok had done and made sure everyone’s nose was clean? I imagine he did. We can find out when he testifies.
Further affiant sayeth naught.
@Michael:
Well, that sort of makes my point, doesn’t it? Unless you can argue that stating they will make sure Trump is not President and their little contrived “investigation” is an “insurance policy” doesn’t represent a dangerous potential in people who are supposed to conduct an investigation based on evidence and facts. Isn’t that what Mueller selected for his team?
No, of course not, because you don’t have a problem with bias as long as it agrees with yours. However, the FACT is Mueller’s team was biased, exercised that bias and were fired because they could not overcome their bias.
@Greg: And what is Trump doing in regards to Venezuela? Backing down? Letting Putin talk him into “handling it” like Obama did in Syria? No, he is making it known that Russia, China, Cuba or Iran better not interfere. Trump is a leader and there is no way any intelligent person can draw the conclusion that Putin is controlling Trump in any way. Obama, on the other hand….
@Mihael:
You imagine? Seems you “imagine” a lot, just like Greggie Goebbels. Here’s my questions; did Mueller know that Strzok was engaged in an extra marital relationship with Page at the time he hired him? Did Strzok violate the “no fraternization” policy that was surely imposed? Did Mueller totally vet his team, including Weissman’s connection to the Hillary campaign and Strzok’s clandestine relationships?
What is amazing to me is how quickly the left can turn on someone. When Mueller was given the assignment, he was the left’s golden boy. When the report was finally released, he was evil incarnate to the left. Now, the same guy who investigated a dirty Mueller in Boston is going to investigate him again. Quid pro quo.
That is the problem with you leftists. You think everyone is dumber than you until the cuffs go on. But please continue with that tactic. It makes it easier to regain the lower House in November 2020.
@Deplorable Me, #57:
Russia already did interfere. Successfully. They kept Maduro in power.
@Greg: Maduro was already in power. We are supporting their Constitution.
@retire05:
Do you know for a fact, or are you imagining?
I think that you’re projecting.
Please make sure that they’re pink and fur-lined.
@Deplorable Me:
The whole team was not fired, and there’s no reason to speculate that their feelings about Trump affected the job the whole team did.
Strzok was fired. If you have any specific reason to question other specific people on the team, go ahead and make your case.
@Michael:
Fact.
No projection (I leave that to you left wingers). All you need to do is read the words of Democrats when Mueller was appointed. Frankly, I think Mueller has been a dirty cop since the days of the Boston FBI scandal.
I assume you also want a pink tulle tutu to go along with the cuffs? You should look lovely in the gay parade.
@retire05:
Imagining. That’s why you said “surely.”
A tutu’s fine, but make it rainbow-colored. I wouldn’t have any problem marching in a gay pride parade. The opportunity’s never come up.
May 17, 2019 — Trump-whispering 101: Barr gives him 3rd Mueller investigation probe for his 2020 campaign
@Greg: Getting a little concerned? Which one is going to spill their guts first; Comey or Brennan?
@Greg: If you know this or not there are Americans that are very interested in what was the origin of the turmoil, Was it agents gone rogue was it directed by the DNC, was it the former President that turned our IC into a political arm of the Democrat Socialist party. How did allied IC get dragged into the coup?
How vast is he Obama spying cabal? The one he found out about on the boob tube.Why was no one fired for spying on allied leaders?
@kitt, #67:
The origin is known already. The origin consisted of the very things Mueller investigated. As the article points out, when a number of those things were noted, it was the duty of the FBI to look into them. If it did not investigate such things, the nation would stand utterly defenseless against the sort of threats they might represent.
It would have been dereliction of duty not to investigate, but we have a Chief Executive who is claiming that doing so was traitorous. Ask yourself why.
@Greg:
Apparently, Chris Traux, an appellate lawyer in a state that allows graduates of internet law schools to take the Bar exam on line (that process is rife with cheating……doesn’t that build confidence in that state’s attorney, boys and girls?) has not got one damn bit of information, other than the Mueller report itself, to form his opinion. Also, he seems to think the Justice Department is incapable of walking and chewing gum.
Of course, no surprise that Greggie Goebbels is trying to divert attention from what Barr is digging into. Best way to do that? Disparage AG Barr.
Don’t you just love napalm in the morning?
@retire05, #69:
So Republicans for the Rule of Law is a leftist organization? They must be, since they’re critical of the man who stole their party.
No, I most definitely do not.
@Greg:
If they had tried to verify the “evidence” they would not have began any investigation. THAT’S why they didn’t try to verify the “evidence”; the investigation was more politically useful.
@Greg:
No, moron. They are a “neverTrump” organization started by the head NeverTrumper, Bill Kristol.
Yeah, the same disgraced Bill Kristol.
May 18, 2019 — GOP lawmaker: Trump has engaged in multiple actions that ‘meet the threshold for impeachment’
@Greg: Why are they just talking about it? If they think they have a legitimate case, DO IT.
Unless they know there is NOTHING in the Mueller report or anywhere else that justifies the investigations or impeachment.
@Greg: I think Amash should expound further on his statements, as soon as possible.
Perhaps with his deep religious held beliefs he prefers Pence.
@Deplorable Me, #74:
They’re probably waiting for more republicans to regain their sanity. It would require 17 republican votes in the Senate.
@Deplorable Me:
There are other reasons for not impeaching.
@Michael:
Yeah… there’s no REASON to impeach except Democrats fear the election.
That 17 out of 51 republican senators might regain their sanity does not seem beyond the realm of possibility. There have been times in the past when the majority of republican senators were sane.
@Greg: I’m sure they already have their sanity. That is why the Democrats hold no hope of shoving their partisan pity-party through the Senate without showing a cause. In the House they have the numbers to act WITHOUT cause. And, as we all know, they have no cause. Nor sanity.
@Deplorable Me:
Everyone should fear the election. Trump’s a nightmare.
@Michael:
Yeah, there’s only so much economic expansion, good jobs, higher wages, more security that a person can take.
@Deplorable Me:
Those are not the only things going on during a Trump presidency.
@Michael: No, there’s sedition, illegal surveillance, false accusation, collusion and obstruction… by the Democrats… going on as well.
@Greg: How do you feel about the protection, by hardening, of the electrical grid?