However, during the Trump era, not only did the president frequently publicly pronounce his views on prosecutions that involved political cronies, but the Justice Department itself was also riven by overtly politically motivated actions that destroyed morale. The spending, detailed in documents released Wednesday by the Department of Justice, coincides with an uptick in activity from Durham in recent months. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, $80K reward offered in manhunt for Texas shooting suspect reportedly in US illegally, NY congresswoman demands FBI investigate threat posed by vegan extremists, Republican senators want feds to explain losing 85,000 migrant kids, FBI searches home of top FTX executive Ryan Salame: report, acquitted Democratic lawyer Michael Sussmann. President Joe Biden and his administration are putting on a master's class in ethics in the federal investigation into the business dealings of the president's son Hunter Biden. He is 5 10 in height, and he weighs approximately 187 lbs. Durham alleged that Sussmann had billed time working on the issue to the Clinton campaign. It was closed in 2012 with no charges filed. was arrested Thursday in Northern Virginia onan indictment that special counsel John Durham obtained charging the Russian-born researcher with five felony counts of . Attorney. In that meeting, Sussmann shared information about possible ties between a Kremlin-linked Russian lender, Alfa Bank, and a computer server at the Trump Organization. The information was significant because it was included in a series of reports prepared by British ex-spy Christopher Steele, who had been hired by an opposition research firm working for the Clinton campaign. In November, Durham alleged in an indictment that Igor Danchenko, an analyst who was a key source for a 2016 dossier of allegations about Trump, had lied to the FBI about where and how he got information. Associated Press; Getty Images Special counsel John Durham filed a new indictment in his investigation into the FBI's Russia probe.. John Durham is a native of Boston, MA. Often, Renos first question to me about any case I was reporting to her about was likely to be what Margolis thought about how it was progressing. If youre keeping score, that would be throughout (a) most of the FISC-authorized surveillance; (b) the Mueller investigation, which somehow failed to detect or at least to report that Danchenko misled the bureau; and (c) Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitzs investigations of the FBIs misconduct in the Trump investigation in the reports of which there is no indication that Horowitz was told Danchenko was on the bureau payroll and available to be interviewed. Mr. Clinesmiths alterations, Durham charged, obscured Pages prior relationship with the CIA. NTD News reports: When Special Counsel John Durham finishes his investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, his report will likely be made public, a Department of Justice official suggested in a newly released letter. At times, he would serve as an interim United States Attorney General. It led to unprecedented letters signed by former department officials calling for the resignation of former Attorney General William Barr. Attorneys President Joe Biden asked to resign in February 2021. The Debrief with Tim Carney: Who will take the blame for all the COVID lockdowns? Along with investigating Connolly, Durhams FBI team gathered evidence regarding a retired agent, H. Paul Rico. While the bureau used inane, unverified information from Steele and Danchenko to suggest to a court that the president of the United States might be a Russian asset, the FBI had intelligence indicating that Danchenko himself might actually have been a Russian asset. ", Sussmann's attorneys, Sean Berkowitz and Michael Bosworth, said their client will "fight this baseless and politically-inspired prosecution. According to court documents, Sussmann allegedly falsely denied representing the Democratic National Committee or any other client at the time when he reported suspicions about possible links between computers at Trump Tower and a Russian bank. It may, however, have the unintended consequence of backfiring on Trump by further eroding his support among moderates and independents who are unlikely to support Trumps continued bromance with Putin during worldwide condemnation of Russias invasion of Ukraine. [41] United States Attorney Deirdre Daly once described him as "tireless, fair and aggressive" while United States Senator Chris Murphy characterized him as "tough-nosed apolitical and serious".[41]. Washington, D.C. 20530, Russian National Indicted for Making False Statements to the FBI, November 4, 2021, Grand Jury Indicts D.C. Attorney with Making False Statements to the FBI in 2016 Regarding Alleged Communications Between Trump Organization and Russian Bank, September 16, 2021, U.S. Department of Justice Durham has so far charged two people with lying to the FBI. [12][13], In December 2000, Durham revealed secret Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) documents that convinced a judge to vacate the 1968 murder convictions of Enrico Tameleo, Joseph Salvati, Peter J. Limone and Louis Greco because they had been framed by the agency. [12], Following those five years as a state prosecutor, Durham became a federal prosecutor, joining the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. Muellers prosecutors charged 34 people, including 26 Russian nationals. Attorneys President Joe Biden asked to resign in February 2021. Statement of Expenditures, April 1, 2022 - September 30, 2022, Statement of Expenditures, October 1, 2021 - March 31, 2022, Statement of Expenditures, April 1, 2021 - September 30, 2021, Statement of Expenditures, October 19, 2020 - March 31, 2021, Department of Justice He would be sworn in to this position by 2018, but, within one year, Durham would be tapped for the current investigation in which he is heading that of the origins of the Trump-Russian collusion probe. [39][40], According to CNN, Durham is "press-shy" and is known for his tendency to avoid the media. ", "U.S. launches criminal probe into CIA tapes", "Veteran prosecutor takes over CIA probe", "No Criminal Charges Sought Over C.I.A. Interestingly enough, one of the corruption charges against Rowland had to do with election fraud. Durham has proven time and again to be effective in bringing convictions on those associated with the New England Mafia. Special counsel to review origins of Trump-Russia investigation, Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections, the 2005 destruction of interrogation tapes, Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (2019), Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (20202021), "John Durham Named Interim U.S. Attorney; Presidential Nomination Expected", "Prosecutor Who Unraveled Corruption in Boston Turns to C.I.A. Lock In fact, reports from its investigation claim that in 2008, when he was working at the Brookings Institution (a center-left Washington think tank), Danchenko offered to pay two of his fellow researchers for classified information if they got jobs in the incoming Obama administration. Typically, a new president will appoint mostly new U.S. attorneys, with the old appointees tendering resignations. New developments in Hunter Biden investigation, Trump publicly asks Putin to release information on Hunter Biden, leave in place the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney. Democrats and others have long asserted that Durhams investigation is a political stunt meant to undercut a legitimate FBI probe that dogged Trumps presidency. A locked padlock The administrations effort to recover the Justice Departments integrity is not limited to the Hunter Biden case. Durham has been appointed as a special investigator in a number of high profile cases, specifically, the Whitey Bulger case. All rights reserved. Did the FBI end up finding out that Danchenko was not really a Russian asset? John Durham Special Counsel Contact Department of Justice Special Counsel's Office 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Room B-103 Washington, D.C. 20530 News Russian National Indicted for Making False Statements to the FBI, November 4, 2021 The indictment says the DNC retained Sussmann in April 2016 to represent it in connection with Russia's hacking of DNC servers, and Sussmann also advised the Clinton campaign on cybersecurity issues. John Durham is 71 years old. Durham is, according to CNN, very press-shy, and he is very private. Special counsel John Durhams inquiry into the origins of the investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump presidential campaign spent close to $3.8 million over its first year of operations. [20] He remains Special Counsel as of January 2023. John Durham report is coming, some people will go to prison Sara Carter Ranking member of the powerful House Intelligence Committee Rep. Devin Nunes told me on The Sara Carter Show podcast that he still expects Justice Department Special Counsel John Durham to release a damaging report on the FBI's debunked investigation into former President Donald Trump and Russia. Durhams career spans nearly fifty years, and it is certain he earned pensions and other compensation as a federal prosecutor as well. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Unbelievably, Durham now explains that the counterintelligence investigation was closed because the FBI incorrectly believed that [Danchenko] had left the country.. Therefore, many details regarding his early life are unknown. By April 2019, U.S. Attorney General William Barr had tasked Durham with overseeing a review of the origins of the Russia investigation and to determine if intelligence collection involving the Trump campaign was "lawful and appropriate". By ERIC TUCKER August 13, 2021. Special counsel John Durham, here in 2018, was tapped by former Attorney General William Barr to look into the origins of the FBI's investigation into connections between the Trump campaign and Russia. TTY/ASCII/TDD: 800-877-8339. John Henry Durham (born March 16, 1950)[3][4][5] is an American lawyer who served as the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut (D. Conn.) from 2018 to 2021. He has been appointed a special investigator by the federal government as well. Copyright 2010-2021 This Nation. Former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith received a one-year probation term in January for altering an email related to a surveillance request in the course of the Russia investigation. Priestap, Baker told lawmakers, assured him that he had extensively followed up on the Alfa Bank matter. A spokesperson for Garland did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his role in the case. LANSING, Mich. Daniel Sougstad has been charged with killing his parents, John and Barbara Sougstad, and his brother . [35], After 312 years, Durham indicted three men, one of whom pleaded guilty to a charge unrelated to the origins of the FBI investigation, and was sentenced to probation; the other two men were tried and acquitted. Sign up now to get the Washington Examiners breaking news and timely commentary delivered right to your inbox. From 1989 to 1994, he served as Chief of the Office's Criminal Division. On October 19, 2020, John Durham was appointed by Attorney General William Barr to serve as the Special Counsel by the order below. Washington DC 20530, Contact the Department | (U.S. Department of Justice via AP). WASHINGTON (AP) John Durham, the federal prosecutor tapped to investigate the origins of the Russia investigation, has been presenting evidence before a grand jury as part of his probe, a person familiar with the matter said Friday. [14] Durham's task force also gathered evidence against retired FBI agent H. Paul Rico, who was indicted in Oklahoma on state charges that he helped Bulger and Flemmi kill a Tulsa businessman in 1981. That alleged lie mattered, the indictment says, because it misled the FBI and deprived it of "information that might have permitted it more fully to assess and uncover the origins of the relevant data and technical analysis, including the identities and motivations of Sussmann's clients. Then-Attorney General Bill Barr tapped Durham in May 2019 to examine how the FBIs investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia began. The latest report includes some expenses . Durham would not recommend any criminal charges be filed. Durham, along with fifty-six others nominated to similar positions by President Trump, was a part of the shake-up at the request of Joe Biden. When the bureau finally got around to questioning Danchenko because it hadnt been able to corroborate Steeles claims despite relying on them in court it learned that Steele appeared to have exaggerated and possibly fabricated rumors and innuendo about Trump that Danchenko was said to have passed along. Ricos case never went to trial; Rico passed away before it could be done. Several years later, however, Durham always appears quiet, professional, and definitely apolitical. [6] He is known for his role as special prosecutor in the 2005 destruction of interrogation tapes created by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), during which he decided not to file any criminal charges related to the destruction of tapes of torture at a CIA facility.[3]. A source familiar with Durhams probe say that the attorney handles the investigation very professionally, pointing to the fact that,, President Trump compared the case to Watergate, saying the allegations against Hillary Clintons campaign and various individuals, including a lawyer, Within the last two months, John Durhams investigation into the Steele dossier, the FISA warrants issued as a result of, Information on Hunter Bidens wealth varies. A Washington attorney who specializes in cybersecurity issues has been indicted for allegedly lying to the FBI ahead of the 2016 election in a conversation about possible ties between Donald Trump and Russia. After being asked by the Biden Administration to resign, John Durham left his United States Attorney in February 2021. Russiagate special counsel John Durham is in the homestretch. Durham was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a former governor of Connecticut, and he was found guilty on a number of corruption charges, many of which were prosecuted by Durham. The most prominent member of the New England Mafia was Peter Limone. By April 2019, he had been assigned to investigate the origins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections, and in October 2020 he was appointed special counsel for the Department of Justice on that matter. After in one year in this position, Durham would then move to the Assistant States Attorney position in the New Haven, Connecticut office of the Connecticut States Attorney. | U.S. Department of Justice/AP Photo. Durhams investigation turned up evidence, however, that was used by the mens families to win a multi-million dollar settlement for wrongful conviction. Yet, far from alerting the FISC judges that there was significant reason to disbelieve the information from Steele about Trump who was by then the incumbent president the FBI continued to rely on that suspect information in sworn surveillance applications in April and June 2017, based on which the FISC granted additional spying warrants. That was detailed in yet another Durham court filing last week, in the Virginia federal court where Danchenko is soon scheduled to be tried. 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From April through September, Durham reported a tab of about $2.36 million, including about $1.89 million his team spent and about $471,000 recorded by other Justice Department offices as being in support of his work. Prior to that, Durham broughtan indictment against attorney Michael Sussmann, alleging that Sussmann similarly misled the FBI in the early stages of its probe. Yet these prosecutions are secondary to the vital story: What role did the FBI, whether by misfeasance or malfeasance, play in the Clinton campaigns project to paint Trump as a clandestine agent of the Kremlin? He was appointed by Michael Mukasey to investigate whether tapes had been destroyed after interrogations. The Debrief with Hugo Gurdon: Why nobody wants a rematch of Trump and Biden in 2024. The indictment alleges that Sussmann "lied about the capacity in which he was providing the allegations to the FBI.". In a second October 2018 interview led by House Republicans, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) pressed Baker on Sussmanns affiliation with the Clinton campaign, saying he found it unbelievable that Baker didnt press him for details on the origin of the Alfa Bank allegations. Durhams prosecutors presented abundant evidence that Sussmann had falsely told the FBI that he was not working for the Clinton campaign when he peddled spurious information about a supposed Trump-Putin communications back channel. Whether Trump likes it or not, the Hunter Biden investigation is proceeding as it should mostly in silence. The special prosecutor probing the origins of the federal investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, John Durham, has charged Washington . Longer stories and investigations that go deep, Since October 2020, Durham has spent $3.8 million probing Russia investigation. The bottom two pillars of the Durham triangle, I believe, are the FBI's -- John Durham's indictment of the FBI attorney, which is literally an indictment of the FBI, and now a criminal. President Joe Biden and his administration are putting on a masters class in ethics in the federal investigation into the business dealings of the presidents son Hunter Biden. Paul Bedard | March 06, 2023 11:26 AM. Annie izzy Cornell (@izzy_annie) July 20, 2021. Durham presents new evidence on day 2 of Danchenko trial. It is likely he was paid well for these special assignments. Durhams time prosecuting mafia-related crimes would come in handy when, in 1999, then-Attorney General Janet Reno chose John Durham to investigate whether James Whitey Bulger and Stephen Flemmi, both gangsters turned FBI informants, had been able to corrupt their FBI handlers. Does everybody remember when we caught the Democrats, red-handed, SPYING ON MY CAMPAIGN? Special counsel John Durhams review of the FBI investigation into possible coordination between Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government has cost U.S. taxpayers about $3.8 million since October 2020, according to a Justice Department report released Wednesday. He said after Sussmann dropped off the material, he quickly passed it to Bill Priestap, the head of the FBIs Counterintelligence Division at the time. [14], In 2008, Durham led an inquiry into allegations that FBI agents and Boston Police had ties with the Mafia. Although Danchenko was the most important source for Steeles explosive allegations against Trump, the FBI did not interview him prior to using Steeles dossier in its first two sworn surveillance applications, in October 2016 and January 2017. Sussmanns meeting with Baker had already been a subject of intense interest to Republicans on Capitol Hill, who grilled Baker about it during closed-door testimony in October 2018 during their own probe of the origins of the FBIs Trump-Russia investigation. Some fear his work for Barr could tarnish it. The spending, detailed in documents released Wednesday by the Department of Justice, coincides with an uptick in activity from Durham and his team in recent months. I signed one of those letters. This is a private university, known for liberal arts studies. On frontier of new gold rush, quest for coveted EV metals yields misery, first asked him to review the FBI investigation, alleged in an indictment that Michael Sussmann, ran up a tab of just under $32 million over two years. At that time, he was both a supervisor as well as a lawyer at the New Haven Field Office. That move effectively took Durham out of the normal Justice Department hierarchy and supervision, although after the Biden administration assumed office, Attorney General Merrick Garland retained the right to overrule any of Durhams major decisions, such as the effort to seek an indictment of Sussmann. Unlike the Jan. 6 Capitol attack cases and potential investigations into members of Congress and Trump advisers that could emerge, the Hunter Biden matter is not one that involves seditious conspiracy against the U.S., an attempt to overturn a presidential election or any other issue of national significance. A lock ( According to the indictment, Sussmann provided Baker with two thumb drives and hard copies of the materials, including a document Sussmann had helped write, one written by a researcher and another written by the political research firm working for the Clinton campaign to dig up opposition research about Trump. The regulations regarding special counsels are pretty clear about what Mr. Durham does, Garland told reporters on Dec. 6. [12], After Durham's volunteer work, he became a state prosecutor in Connecticut. Durham resigned as U.S. Attorney effective February 28, 2021. [20] The U.S. Justice Department's first official expenditure report for the special investigation showed that it had spent $1.5 million from Oct 19, 2020, to March 31, 2021; Durham was not required to report expenditures made before being designated special counsel. Since late 2021, two major indictments have been handed down one for a Russian operative who is said to be the source of the Steele Dossier and Attorney Michael Sussman. In 2007, the documents helped Salvati, Limone, and the families of the two other men, who had died in prison, win a $101.7 million civil judgment against the government. Baker, at the time, said he didnt recall whether Sussmann had represented himself as working on behalf of the Democratic Party or the Clinton campaign. "At its core, the Special Counsel is bringing a false statement charge based on an oral statement allegedly made five years ago to a single witness that is unrecorded and unobserved by anyone else. John Durham News Current Page: 1 . Thanks for contacting us. [3][11] After graduation, he was a VISTA volunteer for two years (19751977) on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. Yet they kept him on board, kept paying him. Sussman was indicted on charges of providing false statements to the FBI, but, Sussmans name is back in the headlines again as a Durham court filing alleges that Sussman took manipulated traffic supposedly from Trump Tower and later the White House to the FBI inferring there was a connection between the Trump Organization and Russian government. The development is a potential sign that Durham may be mulling additional . Theres more. Greg Kahn for The. According to the indictment, Sussmann stated falsely that he was not acting on behalf of any client when he gave the information to the FBIs general counsel, who passed it along to agents to investigate. The deaths of two different Gitmo detainees were investigated, but, when the investigation was complete, no charges were filed. The case is one of three brought so far by special counsel John Durham, who was tapped in 2019 by then-Attorney General William Barr to investigate the genesis of the FBI's Trump-Russia probe.. Danchenko and Sussmann are among the three people who have faced criminal charges from Durhams probe since it was commissioned by then-attorney general William Barr in May 2019. But thats not the half of it. Durham also spent time prosecuting corrupt politicians. From 1978 to 1982, Durham served as an Assistant State's Attorney in the New Haven State's Attorney's Office. 10/12/2022 02:24 PM EDT. Meadows referral creates new legal, political challenges for AG Garland. Special counsel John Durham, appointed during the Trump administration, was tasked with finding crimes that may have been committed at the FBI and elsewhere in . How rich is King Charles? In April 2019, Attorney General William Barr announced that he had launched a review of the origins of the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections[32][33] and it was reported in May that he had assigned Durham to lead it several weeks earlier. Sussman billed these meetings to the Clinton campaign, according to the indictment. The latest report includes some expenses from that prior time frame, which came in higher than had been estimated. Yet, many legal experts as well as political pundits describe him as possessing an apolitical reputation. Between 2008 and 2012, Durham took his legal expertise to Virginia, where he served as a United States Attorney in the Eastern district. It is a case focusing on a single private citizen who happens to be the son of a sitting president. Get a 17% Off In-Store Coupon When You Sign Up For Dunham's Email Rewards IE 11 is not supported. Attorney General Merrick Garland is said to anticipate receiving his final report by the end of the year. [28] Later in 2009, University of Toledo law professor Benjamin G. Davis attended a conference where former officials of the Bush administration had told conference participants shocking stories, and accounts of illegality on the part of more senior Bush officials. In 2019, however, CNN said his apolitical reputation was on the line once then United States Attorney William Barr tapped Durham to head an investigation into the Trump-Russian collusion probe. But there is a very real and compelling reason behind why Special Counsel John Durham has virtually disappeared in Washington D.C. as he's now spent almost three years investigating some of the most powerful and influential people in America. The FBI ultimately could not find anything nefarious about the connections. Its significance is to remind the American people that no one is above the law. It is one of the great dirty tricks in modern political history: The 2016 Democratic presidential campaign colluded with the incumbent Democratic administrations law enforcement and intelligence apparatus to portray their partisan opposition, Donald Trump, as a Kremlin mole, then made the smear stick to the point of forcing Trump to govern for over two years under the cloud of a special-counsel investigation.