John Durham Archives - The Ohio Star

Durham File: A Documentary Roadmap to Special Counsel Probe of Rogue FBI Pursuit of Trump

March 5, 2021March 4, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

Freed from his double duty as Connecticut’s chief federal prosecutor, Special Counsel John Durham is zeroing in on the final phase of his far-reaching investigation into whether FBI officials or others committed crimes while conducting the Russia collusion probe, such as misleading federal judges or Congress.

All expectations were that Durham would wrap up his probe with final indictments and/or a report last fall after a plea deal was reached with former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who admitted he falsified a document submitted to substantiate an application for a surveillance warrant targeting the Trump campaign.

John Durham Resigns from U.S. Attorney’s Office; Is Expected to Continue Investigation into the FBI’s Russia Probe

February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

U.S. Attorney John Durham on Friday announced his resignation from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, but he will reportedly be staying on as special counsel in the investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation.

John Durham Sought Christopher Steele’s Notes from a Meeting with The FBI in Which an Agent Said the Ex-Spy ‘Wasn’t Truthful’

December 14, 2020December 13, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

John Durham, the U.S. attorney investigating aspects of the Trump-Russia probe, has sought notes that former British spy Christopher Steele took during his interviews in 2016 with the FBI regarding a since-debunked dossier he penned that accused the Trump campaign of colluding with the Russian government.

An FBI agent who took part in one of the interviews with Steele told Justice Department investigators that the ex-spy “clearly … wasn’t truthful” regarding his contacts with members of the media.

Report: DOJ Closes ‘Unmasking’ Investigation

October 15, 2020October 14, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

The Justice Department has closed its investigation into whether Obama administration officials improperly unmasked the identities of Trump associates mentioned in intelligence reports, according to a report.

According to The Washington Post, the investigation was recently closed and is unlikely to lead to criminal charges. A report of the investigation will also not be released, according to the newspaper, which cited government sources familiar with the matter.

Commentary: In This Election Donald Trump Is the Candidate of Honesty, Competence, and Legality

October 14, 2020October 13, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

The election campaign, now finally approaching its climax, will long be studied because of the paradoxical reactions of American public opinion to an astonishing series of events and revelations. It is now clear from intelligence declassifications—now temporarily taking the place of indictments by the special counsel on the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation—that the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, knew that she was transmitting reports compiled by Russian intelligence agents and transmitted via former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. These were presented to the U.S. intelligence and justice communities and ultimately to the public through the media as hard intelligence evidence of treasonable conduct by her opponent Donald Trump. The solid evidence of these facts is now in the public domain.

John Durham Aide Resigns, Reportedly Because of Pressure to Complete Trump-Russia Probe

September 13, 2020September 12, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

A top prosecutor in the office of U.S. Attorney John Durham submitted her resignation on Friday, The Daily Caller News Foundation has confirmed.

The Hartford Courant reported that Nora Dannehy resigned because of political pressure from Justice Department headquarters regarding Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.

AG Barr Says There ‘Could Be’ More Charges in Durham Probe

September 11, 2020September 10, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

Attorney General William Barr said Wednesday that more charges are possible in the investigation led by John Durham, the U.S. attorney investigating the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.

Barr was asked about the status of the probe during an interview with NBC News. He declined to say whether Durham, the U.S. attorney for Connecticut, is nearing the end of the probe, which began in April 2018.

Ratcliffe Says He Is Coordinating with John Durham, Plans to Declassify More Trump-Russia Documents

September 1, 2020August 31, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

John Ratcliffe, the director of national intelligence, has been coordinating with U.S. Attorney John Durham and plans to soon declassify more documents related to the Trump-Russia probe, he said Sunday.

“The question now is did the FBI have a proper predicate to begin a counterintelligence investigation at all, and that’s the issue that John Durham is looking at, and also the issue that I’m continuing to look at,” Ratcliffe said in an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”

Trump: Clinesmith Guilty Plea Is ‘Just the Beginning’ with ‘More to Come’

August 16, 2020August 15, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

President Trump on Friday said that news of former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith’s plea deal with Department of Justice prosecutors was “just the beginning,” signaling that U.S. Attorney John Durham is zeroing in on other targets in his investigation.

Clinesmith is expected to plead guilty in connection with his alteration of an exonerating email during the Crossfire Hurricane (CH) investigation, which targeted members of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, including foreign policy adviser Carter Page.

Ex-FBI Lawyer to Plead Guilty in Durham Probe of Russia Investigation’s Origins

August 15, 2020August 14, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

A former FBI attorney will plead guilty to making false statements in documents used to obtain a surveillance warrant against former Trump aide Carter Page, his lawyer told the Associated Press Friday.

The guilty plea from Kevin Clinesmith is the first legal action taken in an investigation led by John Durham, a U.S. attorney looking into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe and other intelligence-gathering activities related to the Trump campaign.

Attorney General Barr Tells House Judiciary Committee There Is a Separate Investigation Into Unmaskings

July 30, 2020July 29, 2020 Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) asked Attorney General William Barr about “unmaskings” in a House Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.

The committee grilled Barr on a number of other topics as well, including police reform.

Jim Jordan Hoping for Indictments in Durham’s Probe of Origins of Russia Investigation

July 13, 2020July 12, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said his constituents want to see someone go to jail for targeting President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.

The Ohio Republican said he hopes U.S. Attorney John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Russia probe will produce indictments.

Conflicting Reports: John Durham May or May Not Wait Until After Election to Bring Indictments

July 12, 2020July 11, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

U.S. Attorney John Durham is reportedly feeling pressure to wrap up his investigation into the origins of the Russia probe by the end of the summer, but because his work is ongoing, he may wait until after the election to reveal his findings to avoid looking political.

Indictments Likely Coming Down in Durham Probe and Antifa Financing Probe, Former Fed Says

June 25, 2020June 24, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

A former federal prosecutor said Tuesday that he believes that the reason congressional Democrats are working so hard to smear Attorney General William Barr is to “preempt” what will soon be coming down in two Department of Justice investigations.

Jim Trusty, formerly the Chief of the Organized Crime Section at the DOJ, now a partner at Ifrah Law, said Dems are doing “damage control” because U.S. Attorney John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the FBI’s Russia probe, and a DOJ investigation into antifa’s financing are about to result in some “bombshell” indictments.

Eight More Key ‘Russiagate Investigators’ US Attorney John Durham is Likely Investigating

June 23, 2020June 23, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

The multiple investigations of the U.S. government’s intelligence-gathering activities against the Trump campaign have typically focused on the actions of the same small group of former officials: James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, John Brennan, James Clapper and a few others.

But just as significant to the efforts to get to the bottom of the government’s Trump-related surveillance are a handful of current and former FBI and Justice Department employees whose names are not as well known to the public.

Report: Durham Using Latest Flynn Files to Build a ‘Serious Case’ Against Corrupt FBI Officials

May 2, 2020May 1, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham has reviewed the damning, recently released FBI files on Gen. Michael Flynn, and is using them to build a “serious case,” Fox News reported Friday. According to a Fox source, the new information “could be sufficient” to bring charges against corrupt FBI officials.

Bill Barr Says Evidence from Durham Probe Is ‘Troubling,’ Report of Investigation Is ‘Likely’

April 11, 2020April 10, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

Attorney General William Barr believes that U.S. Attorney John Durham is likely to produce a report of his investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, he said in an interview with Fox News that aired Thursday.

Tlaib Calls for Resignations of Barr and Durham Because They ‘Questioned Legitimacy of Justice Department’

December 30, 2019December 30, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) recently joined several of her Democratic colleagues in calling for the immediate resignations of U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr and U.S. Attorney John Durham.

Commentary: Eric Holder and Wapo Threaten U.S. Attorney John Durham for Looking into Spygate

December 27, 2019December 30, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

We’ve all heard the joke. A thuggish looking guy walks into a business he is trying to shakedown and says, “Nice little store you have here. It’d be a shame if something happened to it.” Wink, wink. The message is crystal clear; do what the bully wants or else something really bad is going to happen.

Tag: John Durham