The long-awaited report by John Durham, the special counsel designated to look into how the FBI began looking into any connections between Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian government. Durham claims that the Crossfire Hurricane probe should never have been started.
In his report, Durham highlighted the lack of corroborating information from the Intelligence Community that supported the basis for launching the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. He concluded that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI failed to adhere to their mission of upholding the law during certain events and activities associated with the probe.
The report also emphasized the need for the DOJ and FBI to acknowledge the shortcomings in analytical rigor, confirmation bias, and overreliance on information from individuals linked to political opponents. These factors, Durham argued, led investigators to overlook alternative hypotheses and act without sufficient objectivity or restraint in pursuing allegations of collusion or conspiracy between a U.S. political campaign and a foreign power.
Appointed as special counsel by former Attorney General William Barr in October 2020, Durham’s investigation resulted in a guilty plea from FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith, who admitted to altering an email to falsely represent Trump campaign advisor Carter Page’s relationship with the CIA. However, Durham was unable to secure a conviction against former FBI attorney Michael Sussmann for allegedly lying to former FBI General Counsel James Baker about his involvement with the Clinton campaign.
Durham’s report has ignited renewed debates and discussions regarding the handling of the Trump-Russia investigation, with various perspectives emerging on the implications and consequences of its findings.
