FBI shouldn't have launched full Trump-Russia probe, says special counsel
United States (US) Special Counsel John Durham has said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) lacked "actual evidence" to investigate ties between former President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. He claimed that the FBI relied too much on tips supplied by Trump's political opponents. In his report, Durham concluded that the agency should never have launched a full investigation into the allegations.
Why does this story matter?
The FBI purportedly launched the investigation dubbed "Crossfire Hurricane" in response to an intelligence assessment alleging that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an "influence campaign" in the 2016 US elections. According to the reports, the Russian government "aspired to help" Trump's election chances whenever possible by discrediting his rival Hillary Clinton. The Russian government had allegedly "developed a clear preference" for Trump in 2016.
FBI investigation relied on 'raw, uncorroborated intelligence': Durham
Durham, who was appointed by then-Attorney General William Barr in 2019 to probe the FBI's potential missteps, stated the agency's investigation lacked "analytical rigor" in his 306-page report. He charged the FBI with relying on "raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence." According to the report, the FBI committed several mistakes, including instances of "confirmation bias" and ignoring material that undermined the investigation's basic premise.
Justice Department, FBI failed to uphold important mission
While criticizing the FBI probe, Durham wrote, "Based on the review of 'Crossfire Hurricane' and related intelligence activities, 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." Attorney General Merrick Garland sent Durham's report to congressional lawmakers and released it on Monday.
New revelations likely to fuel debate ahead of presidential campaign
The findings in Durham's report criticizing the FBI's investigation will likely rekindle the discussion over alleged Trump-Russia ties, the FBI, and the 2016 presidential election, which is still raging on more than six years later while Trump is planning for a White House bid once more. Meanwhile, House Judiciary Committee Republican Chair Jim Jordan reportedly requested Durham to testify next week over the issue.
What is FBI's response?
According to the FBI, it had long ago taken a number of remedial measures, and the mistakes mentioned in the Durham report could have been avoided if those procedures had been in place in 2016. The probe agency also highlighted that the conduct in the report happened much before the current Director Christopher Wray took the charge in 2017.
Know about Durham's probe
In May 2019, Durbam launched his investigation as per then-Attorney Barr's directives. He looked closely at how the FBI handled the dossier and secret information leaks alleging Trump-Russia relations. However, his investigation reportedly focused mostly on Trump's political adversaries and alleged foes. Trump and his right-wing friends constantly claimed Durham would "investigate the investigators" and bring down the previous president's critics with shocking charges.
