Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) tore into special counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the FBI’s Russia election meddling probe.
During a House Judiciary “weaponization” subcommittee hearing Thursday, Raskin slammed the Durham inquiry as a “total flop” and pressed the GOP-led panel to turn its attention to the special counsel.
SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE TO REVIEW DURHAM’S INVESTIGATION
“Consider the John Durham investigation,” Raskin implored. “At the urging of Republicans, including the good chairman, [Rep. Jim Jordan], the John Durham special counsel investigation was set up in 2019 by Barr to try to find wrongdoing by intelligence or law enforcement agencies in the origins of the Mueller investigation.”
Durham was tapped to examine the Russia investigation by former Attorney General William Barr. Conservatives, especially former President Donald Trump, have long railed against the FBI’s Russia inquiry. Trump went so far as to accuse the bureau of “spying” on him.
Ultimately, Durham’s review appears to have yielded little evidence to suggest there was widespread criminal misconduct by the FBI at the scale Trump and others suggested. Throughout his 3 1/2 year inquiry, he clinched one guilty plea that was unrelated to the origins of the Russia investigation.
Two prosecutions he pursued against cybersecurity lawyer Michael Sussmann and Igor Danchenko for alleged lying were both unsuccessful. Last month, the New York Times published a report alleging Durham’s review was roiled by misconduct.
“After four years and millions of dollars spent, the Durham investigation closed as a total flop without unearthing anything like the deep-state conspiracy that Republicans have been denouncing around here for years,” Raskin continued. “I hope your subcommittee will investigate.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced last month that his panel will investigate the Durham inquiry in light of the New York Times report.
Durham is currently believed to be crafting the final report of his investigation.
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Raskin’s remarks came during the weaponization subcommittee’s first public hearing Thursday. The panel, which is led by House Judiciary Chairman Jordan (R-OH), is analyzing the alleged politicization of the bureau and seeking to uncover the origins and extent the FBI has been “weaponized.”
Thursday’s hearing featured testimony from Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI). Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and two former FBI agents also testified about alleged politicization at the bureau.
Republicans have been using the subcommittee to review how the FBI allegedly wielded its sprawling powers to target anti-abortion activists, parents who protested school board meetings, and conservatives broadly.
Raskin is currently undergoing chemotherapy for large B-cell lymphoma.
