Durham Probe: Did the FBI Undermine Trump After the Election?

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While impeachment coverage has dominated the media — even though most Americans seem uninterested in the proceedings – the Justice Department is continuing its probe into the FBI’s conduct towards President Donald Trump when it comes to the Russiagate fiasco. Last year, it was revealed that Durham had turned his investigation into a criminal matter, meaning that he might have evidence of illegal activity on the part of certain actors in the Bureau. Now, it appears the investigation is focused not only on what happened before the election but also on the actions of the FBI after Trump took office.

Post-Election Documents

William Barr (left) and John Durham

Federal prosecutor John Durham is now focusing on documents that were revealed during the first few months after President Trump took office. These were written between January 2017 and May 2017. The time period cuts off just before Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election.

In an interview with NBC, Attorney General William Barr explained that he instructed Durham to expand the investigation to post-election activity because of the Inspector General’s report. He wished to know more about “ some of the stuff that Horowitz has uncovered which to me is inexplicable.” According to journalist Sarah Carter, the documents could reveal the intent of those at the FBI involved in the wrongdoing. The probe is expected to focus on the conduct of former senior officials who served during the Obama administration.

Durham is currently looking into former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and others. His team has interviewed several employees at the CIA. Carter’s sources told her that “those questioned are very nervous about the direction of Durham’s investigation.”

The prosecutor’s probe is also focused on the Intelligence Community Assessment on Russia. In this report, Brennan claimed that the CIA did not use the now-infamous dossier that was compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele. However, Horowitz’s investigation revealed that the now-debunked document was used to obtain a warrant to spy on Trump campaign aide Carter Page.

The Saga Continues

The probe into Trump’s alleged collaboration with the Russian government to swing the results of the 2016 election raised suspicions on both sides. On the left, Democrats and their allies in the press were dead set on convincing the American public that President Trump was secretly a Russian asset. Unfortunately for them, Mueller’s report revealed that there was no evidence of collusion.

On the right, many surmised that anti-Trump bias among members of the Bureau motivated them to pursue the Russiagate narrative. Now that the collusion sham has been debunked, the attention is on those who attempted to discredit the president. Both Durham and Barr have been rather tight-lipped about the affair, but it is clear that they are also suspicious of the role that bias may have played in the origin of the investigation. It is not yet clear if there is a fire here, but judging by the DOJ’s actions, there is certainly smoke.

Read more from Jeff Charles.

About the author

Jeff Charles

Socio-political Correspondent at LibertyNation.com. A self-confessed news and political junkie, Jeff’s writing has been featured in Small Business Trends, Business2Community, and The Huffington Post. Born in Southern California and having experienced the 1992 L.A. Riots up close and personal, Jeff’s insights are informed by his experiences as a black man and a conservative.Race Relations & Media Affairs Correspondent