OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Special Counsel John Durham has finally reached its conclusion and found that the investigation into former President Donald Trump and Russian collusion should have never happened.
The final report was damning for the Department of Justice and former FBI Director James Comey and Hillary Clinton among others in what was a brutal takedown of the leadership of both departments,” Fox News reported.
“Based on the review of Crossfire Hurricane and related intelligence activities, we conclude that the Department and the FBI failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law in connection with certain events and activities described in this report,” Durham said in the report.
He said the investigation revealed, “senior FBI personnel displayed a serious lack of analytical rigor towards the information that they received, especially information received from politically-affiliated persons and entities.”
“This information in part triggered and sustained Crossfire Hurricane and contributed to the subsequent need for Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation,” the report said. “In particular, there was significant reliance on investigative leads provided or funded (directly or indirectly) by Trump’s political opponents.”
“The Department did not adequately examine or question these materials and the motivations of those providing them, even when at about the same time the Director of the FBI and others learned of significant and potentially contrary intelligence,” it said.
Fox News reported.
Durham is referring to past FBI leadership in his report–specifically former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
Durham said there is a “continuing need for the FBI and the Department to recognize that lack of analytical rigor, apparent confirmation bias, and an over-willigness to rely on information from individuals connected to political opponents caused investigators to fail to adequately consider alternative hypotheses and to act without appropriate objectivity or restraint in pursuing allegations of collusion or conspiracy between a U.S. political campaign and a foreign power.”
“Although recognizing that in hindsight much is clearer, much of this also seems to have been clear at the time,” Durham’s report states. “We therefore believe it is important to examine past conduct to identify shortcomings and improve how the government carries out its most sensitive functions.”
Durham report on FBI Trump /Russia probe to be released at 4 PM pic.twitter.com/EVkUwUI3C6
— Karli Bonne’ (@KarliBonnita) May 15, 2023
BREAKING 🚨
Special counsel John Durham concludes the FBI never should have launched Trump-Russia probe— Stephanie Myers (@_StephanieMyers) May 15, 2023
🚨 BREAKING UPDATE: Durham Report states that a plan devised by Hillary Clinton to create a false link between Trump & Russia was presented to Obama, VP Biden, AG Lynch, & FBI Director Comey in August 2016 by CIA Director Brennan
They KNEW this was a hoax from day one.
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 15, 2023
Last week Attorney General Merrick Garland hinted that he expected Durham’s investigation to be done in the near future.
“The rare update on Durham’s inquiry into potential misconduct in the Trump-Russia probe came during testimony before a Senate committee. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) asked Garland about why former Hillary Clinton campaign attorney Michael Sussmann, who was found not guilty of lying to the FBI in a blow to Durham’s investigation, apparently had a badge to get into the bureau’s headquarters in the run-up to the 2016 election,” The Daily Wire said.
“On the particular question about Sussman, I think we’re going to have to wait until Mr. Durham finishes his report, which should be relatively soon,” the attorney general said.
“I certainly don’t in any way want to interfere with him,” he said. “And he’s the one who would know the answer to that. On the more general question, I can certainly ask my team to look into how lawyers have special badges.”
Just The News founder John Solomon believes that Special Counsel John Durham is preparing to go after the FBI. Solomon spoke about the special counsel’s investigation into the Trump-Russia witch hunt and what Durham’s next move might be.
Solomon explained that he believes Durham is dealing with “two buckets.”
In one “bucket,” there are the last two indictments against officials who were connected to Hillary Clinton and their plan to feed the FBI false information about Trump-Russia conspiracies. He said the other “bucket” focuses on the FBI and whether agents knowingly mislead the FISA court to obtain warrants to spy on members of Trump’s 2016 campaign.
“But Durham developed really significant evidence that red flags, the stop-now warning signs go all the way back to August when Bruce Orr, in 2016 came to the FBI and said Christopher Steele is dumping a dossier. He hates Trump. He’s hired by Hillary Clinton and most of his information is raw and uncorroborated,” he said.