The 300-page Durham report dropped on Monday and the bi-polar response was predictable…
CNN anchor Jake Tapper is earning scorn from the left and praise from the right over his commentary on John Durham, a Trump-era special counsel, and his report reviewing the investigation of the former president’s ties to Russia.
“Regardless, the report is here, it has dropped,” Tapper said Monday during his nightly newscast on CNN. “And it might have not produced everything of what some Republicans hope for, it is regardless devastating to the FBI, and to a degree it does exonerate Donald Trump.” (The Hill)
CIA subcontractor The Washington Post also called it “Damning to the FBI,” and with good reason. From The Durham Report:
The FBI thus failed to act on what should have been-when combined with other, incontrovertible facts – a clear warning sign that the FBI might then be the target of an effort to manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes during the 2016 presidential election. (Durham Report)
More Damning: Obama and Brennan knew of the Clinton Campaign plan to smear Donald Trump.
“There’s nothing to this, but we have to run it to ground.”
Crafty apologists attempt an ex post facto goalpost shift, claiming the investigation’s purpose was to arrest CIA perps and prosecute the Clinton campaign plot against Trump. Partisan Democrats in the press shrug off Clinton dirty tricks (thereby acknowledging her nefarious plot) and end up admitting what slobbering Trump haters still cannot accept:
To understand the context here, keep in mind that the Clinton campaign did indeed fund opposition research on Trump’s Russia links, through the firm Fusion GPS. Fusion hired former British spy Christopher Steele, who put together the infamous “Steele dossier” claiming a vast Trump-Russia conspiracy. Fusion and a Clinton campaign lawyer also were involved in another project assessing purported connections between a Trump server and Alfa Bank, a Russian bank.
Neither Steele’s work nor the Alfa Bank research has held up well.
The brazen Vox writer also tacitly acknowledges Durham’s probity, explaining how Durham laid out his initial theory in the report but then stated “it did not yield evidence sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any FBI or CIA officials intentionally furthered a Clinton campaign plan to frame or falsely accuse Trump of improper ties to Russia.”
Anyone doubting Durham’s track record of non-partisan honesty should have listened to Democrat Senator Chris Murphy:
“He’s been a prosecutor in Connecticut forever,” Murphy said of Durham, who has been a public official in the state since 1977. “He’s a law-and-order guy, tough-nosed, well-respected. If I were him, I wouldn’t have taken this job, but he’s got a reputation of being apolitical and serious.”
FBI Admission of Guilt
Dumbest of all are the slack-jawed “Nothing Burger” dullards defending government malfeasance even after the FBI’s admission of guilt and acknowledging Durham’s findings:
Statement on Report by Special Counsel John Durham
The conduct in 2016 and 2017 that Special Counsel Durham examined was the reason that current FBI leadership already implemented dozens of corrective actions, which have now been in place for some time. Had those reforms been in place in 2016, the missteps identified in the report could have been prevented. This report reinforces the importance of ensuring the FBI continues to do its work with the rigor, objectivity, and professionalism the American people deserve and rightly expect. (FBI Press Release)
Trying to prosecute a mafiosi in a 1940’s Italian neighborhood
Durham only prosecuted three malefactors, but two got off thanks to DC juries taking care of their own. In the report, he criticized the FBI’s handling of the investigation and called for reforms to the FISC process. The report also raised questions about the role of former FBI Director James Comey and former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in the investigation. High government positions enjoy wide latitude for incompetence, malfeasance and political intrigue.
Here are some of the key findings of the Durham Report:
1) The FBI used “raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence” to launch the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The FBI relied on a dossier compiled by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer, to launch its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The dossier contained allegations of ties between Trump campaign officials and Russia, but it was largely unverified. Durham found that the FBI did not adequately vet the dossier before using it to justify the investigation.
“a top priority for the director,”
2) The FBI withheld information from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) in order to obtain a warrant to surveil Carter Page, a former Trump campaign advisor.
The FBI obtained a warrant to surveil Page in October 2016. However, Durham found that the FBI withheld information from the FISC about the political origins of the investigation and about Steele’s potential bias. This information could have led the FISC to deny the warrant.
3) The FBI’s investigation was “predicated on a false narrative.”
Durham found that the FBI’s investigation was based on the false belief that Trump campaign officials were colluding with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election. This belief was not supported by the evidence.
4) The FBI’s handling of the investigation was “deeply flawed.”
Durham found that the FBI’s handling of the investigation was “deeply flawed.” The FBI made numerous errors, including relying on unverified information, withholding information from the FISC, and using political bias to influence the investigation.
5) The FISC process needs to be reformed.
Durham found that the FISC process needs to be reformed. The FISC is a secret court that grants warrants to the government to surveil individuals suspected of foreign espionage. Durham found that the FISC is not adequately equipped to handle complex cases involving political bias.
My conclusion? Durham is one of the most honest men in government.
Are there any civil libertarians left in this nation?
Related:
Eight Takeaways from The Durham Report