Special Counsel Faults FBI, DOJ Probe of Alleged Trump-Russia Collusion
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Special Counsel John Durham faulted the FBI and Justice Department on Monday for their investigation of potential Russian 2016 election interference and alleged collusion between Russia and former President Donald Trump.
Key Quotes: "The Department and the FBI failed to uphold their important mission of strict fidelity to the law" in some aspects of their probe, Durham's roughly 300-page report states, while noting a "serious lack of analytical rigor" and "reliance on investigative leads provided or funded (directly or indirectly) by Trump's political opponents." The FBI said the conduct Durham investigated already spurred "dozens of corrective actions, which have now been in place for some time."
For Context: Durham lost both criminal cases he took to trial over the probe, and Monday's report is likely his final action on the matter. His report and others allege evidence of "blatant political bias" against Trump within the FBI.
Different Truths: Associated Press (Lean Left bias) said the report was "underwhelming" and "fell far short of the former president’s prediction that the 'crime of the century' would be uncovered." Fox News (Right) called Durham's report "scathing" and highlighted his specific criticisms of the FBI. One CNN (Lean Left) analysis said Trump "weaponized" the report and highlighted how Durham "did not unveil any new prosecutions – undermining Trump’s predictions of a sweeping purge of the bureau." One Washington Examiner (Lean Right) opinion said Durham "all but vindicated the former president" and that "the 'collusion' looks to have been more against Trump than by him."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Special prosecutor ends Trump-Russia investigation, saying FBI acted hastilyA special prosecutor found that the FBI rushed into its investigation of ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and relied too much on raw and unconfirmed intelligence as he concluded a four-year probe that fell far short of the former president’s prediction that the “crime of the century” would be uncovered.
The report Monday from special counsel John Durham represents the long-awaited culmination of an investigation that Trump and allies had claimed would expose massive wrongdoing by law enforcement and intelligence officials. Instead, Durham’s investigation delivered underwhelming results, with prosecutors securing a guilty...
From the Right
FBI responds to scathing Durham report on Trump-Russia probe, touts 'dozens of corrective actions'The FBI responded Monday to the scathing report by Special Counsel John Durham that found the Department of Justice and FBI "failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law" when it launched the Trump-Russia investigation.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the agency touted what it said were "dozens of corrective actions" already implemented as a result of the Durham investigation.
"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...
From the Center
FBI Faulted for Its Probe of Russian Meddling in 2016 CampaignA special counsel appointed in President Donald Trump’s administration issued a highly critical report on how the FBI handled allegations linking Mr. Trump to Russia in 2016, ending four years of work Monday after having lost the two criminal cases he took to trial.
In his 306-page report, John Durham, the former top federal prosecutor in Connecticut, repeated prior criticisms faulting the Federal Bureau of Investigation on a number of points.
He said the bureau swiftly pursued a vague tip about potential contacts between a Trump campaign aide and Russia authorities in...
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