John Durham, the Justice Department special counsel who recently completed his report after investigating the FBI's probe of ties between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The hearing, which lasted for about six hours, turned into a heated political fight, with Democrats denouncing his inquiry, and Republicans arguing that its findings helped prove anti-Trump bias within law enforcement. Despite the length of the hearing and the attention it generated, it didn't reveal any groundbreaking information. Instead, Durham reiterated many of the strongest critiques and criticisms of his 306-page report that were already available to the public, which disappointed several Democrats who expected more.

During the hearing, Durham focused on his findings and tried to keep the discussion centered on the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation. He pointed out that FBI investigators examining potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia ignored exculpatory evidence, used a largely discredited dossier of opposition research to obtain a surveillance warrant on a former Trump campaign aide, withheld key information from judges and lacked an adequate basis to open a full investigation in the first place. The errors in the investigation were noteworthy because it involved a 'presidential campaign' and was not a routine matter, Durham said.

Democrats frequently steered the conversation to other topics, such as Durham's track record, the abrupt departure of his top deputy, and the fact that many of his more critical findings had already been exposed by a Justice Department inspector general report years ago. The inspector general referred only one case to Durham's office, which resulted in a guilty plea from a little-known FBI lawyer. Two other cases taken to trial by Durham's team ended in swift jury acquittals, which disappointed GOP lawmakers.

John Durham, the Justice Department special counsel who recently completed his report after investigating the FBI's probe of ties between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The hearing, which lasted for about six hours, turned into a heated political fight, with Democrats denouncing his inquiry, and Republicans arguing that its findings helped prove anti-Trump bias within law enforcement. Despite the length of the hearing and the attention it generated, it didn't reveal any groundbreaking information. Instead, Durham reiterated many of the strongest critiques and criticisms of his 306-page report that were already available to the public, which disappointed several Democrats who expected more.
During the hearing, Durham focused on his findings and tried to keep the discussion centered on the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation. He pointed out that FBI investigators examining potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia ignored exculpatory evidence, used a largely discredited dossier of opposition research to obtain a surveillance warrant on a former Trump campaign aide, withheld key information from judges and lacked an adequate basis to open a full investigation in the first place. The errors in the investigation were noteworthy because it involved a 'presidential campaign' and was not a routine matter, Durham said.
Democrats frequently steered the conversation to other topics, such as Durham's track record, the abrupt departure of his top deputy, and the fact that many of his more critical findings had already been exposed by a Justice Department inspector general report years ago. The inspector general referred only one case to Durham's office, which resulted in a guilty plea from a little-known FBI lawyer. Two other cases taken to trial by Durham's team ended in swift jury acquittals, which disappointed GOP lawmakers.

Subscribe to Our Show for Real News, All Day Every Day

Subscribe to Our Show for Real News, All Day Every Day

Real News Now Podcast

Real News Now Podcast is a Podcast bringing you the Real News All Day Every Day!

<a href="https://realnewsnow.com/">Real News Now</a> Podcast is a Podcast bringing you the Real News All Day Every Day!

Advertisement