john durham 2021

WASHINGTON John H. Durham, the special counsel appointed by the Trump administration to scrutinize the Russia investigation, has told the Justice Department that he will ask a grand jury to. [14], In 2008, Durham was appointed by Attorney General Michael Mukasey to investigate the destruction of CIA videotapes of detainee interrogations. 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. 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. Prosecutors allege Sussmann lied by denying that he was representing any client as he told the FBI about digital evidence allegedly linking computers in Trump Tower to Russias Alfa Bank. 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 Rico died in 2004 before the case went to trial. Sussman billed these meetings to the Clinton campaign, according to the indictment. Attorney General Merrick Garland is said to anticipate receiving his final report by the end of the year. Durham attended Colgate University, in Hamilton, NY. This article was published more than1 year ago. [34] By September 2022 the costs of his investigation has climbed to $6.5 million since assuming the role of special counsel. Whether or not Hunter Biden, who has denied any wrongdoing, is ultimately charged, Trumps latest insertion of himself into the investigation is unlikely to have any effect on the matter. It is notable, however, that Durham was only commissioned to look at investigations that had gone beyond the officially sanctioned guidelines. Holder told Durham that interrogators acting in good faith based on Bush Justice Department Torture Memos were not to be prosecuted. [6] He was one of 56 remaining Trump-appointed U.S. Updated: 09/16/2021 09:15 PM EDT. Unbelievably, Durham now explains that the counterintelligence investigation was closed because the FBI incorrectly believed that [Danchenko] had left the country.. Sign up now to get the Washington Examiners breaking news and timely commentary delivered right to your inbox. After being asked by the Biden Administration to resign, John Durham left his United States Attorney in February 2021. More than $670,000 went toward personnel costs, more than $280,000 went toward travel and more than $797,000 went toward IT and litigative support, according to the report. Durham is investigating the department's . IE 11 is not supported. 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. Danchenko turns out to have been Steeles principal source for this fever dream. President Biden's hands-off approach during the federal investigation into his son is one way he's trying to repair the damage the Trump administration did to the Justice Department. Attorneys President Joe Biden asked to resign in February 2021. 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW He was initially a Deputy Assistant State Attorney serving in the Office of the Chief States Attorney in Connecticut. 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 . 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. Tapes", "Gina Haspel's Testimony About C.I.A. Though Durham initially focused on whether law enforcement and intelligence agencies acted inappropriately as they investigated the Trump campaign, the probe in recent months has seemed to zero in on whether people outside of government misled the FBI in an effort to keep attention on exaggerated claims of Trump ties with Russia. However, after the Biden administration took office, Attorney General Merrick Garland reserved the right to overrule Durhams major decisions. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Did the FBI end up finding out that Danchenko was not really a Russian asset? Comparing his expenditures to Durhams is difficult, though, because of the time period in which Durham was not operating as a special counsel, and the differing natures of their assignments. The administrations effort to recover the Justice Departments integrity is not limited to the Hunter Biden case. [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. Tape Case", "U.S. Attorney For Connecticut John Durham Resigns", "Scrutiny of Russia Investigation Is Said to Be a Review, Not a Criminal Inquiry", "AP source: Barr launches new look at origins of Russia probe", "Barr appoints special counsel in Russia probe investigation", "Durham remains special counsel overseeing Trump-Russia probe", "John H. Durham Sworn in as United States Attorney", "John H. Durham: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know", "President Trump Nominates John Durham To Be U.S. Attorney", "Barr appoints John Durham as special counsel investigating 2016 presidential campaign investigators | CNN Politics", "Barr Makes Durham a Special Counsel in a Bid to Entrench Scrutiny of the Russia Inquiry", "Justice Dept. [12], After Durham's volunteer work, he became a state prosecutor in Connecticut. The development is a potential sign that Durham may be mulling additional . 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. Barr gave him the special counsel designation in October 2020 signing an order that protected the investigation from any potential change in political leadership and required the submission of a final report that could be made public. San Antonio International Airport Parking, The Hidden Costs Of Moving: Expenses You Might Overlook, Indoor Gardening In New York Design Ideas To Excite And Inspire, Americas Wedding Statistics Paint A Positive Picture, How To Increase Your Impact On A Local Community Through Social Media: Promoting Your Social Or Political Resource On Facebook And Some Tools That Can Fasten That Process Up, 4 sons (as Durham is notoriously private, little is known about the boys), Colgate University; University of Connecticut Law School, Bachelor of Arts Colgate (no concentration known); Juris Doctor (UC Law School), As a district attorney, Durham likely earned $73,000 annually; his salary as the Special Counsel is unknown. An accounting released earlier this year showed Durhams investigation cost U.S. taxpayers about $1.45 million from mid-October 2020 through March 2021. Durham has been appointed as a special investigator in a number of high profile cases, specifically, the Whitey Bulger case. 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. By ERIC TUCKER August 13, 2021. It is a case focusing on a single private citizen who happens to be the son of a sitting president. 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. Russiagate special counsel John Durham is in the homestretch. 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. 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. Durhams quiet demeanor lends little public knowledge of his personal life. Durhams investigation indicates that Danchenko lied to the FBI multiple times, falsehoods that should have been easy for the nations flagship federal investigative agency to run down. 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. The case against Sussmann was assigned on Thursday to Judge Christopher Cooper, an appointee of President Barack Obama. Durham has been rather quiet but professional regarding his current case. We now know that the so-called dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele was a Clinton campaign production. [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. Last week, in a jaw-dropping court submission, Durham revealed that the FBI signed up Danchenko as an informant and paid him for almost three years from March 2017 through October 2020. In particular, Durham worked as a part of the Boston Strike Force. And so I wanted to get this get the information into the hands of the agents as quickly as possible and let them deal with it. Phone: 202-514-2000 Clinesmiths alterations, Durham charged, obscured Pages prior relationship with the CIA. 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. Interrogations", "Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on Closure of Investigation into the Interrogation of Certain Detainees", "Attorney General taps top Connecticut federal prosecutor for review of Trump-Russia inquiry", "Barr Assigns U.S. Attorney in Connecticut to Review Origins of Russia Inquiry", "Special Counsel Spends $1.5 Million in Probe of Russia Inquiry", "Special counsel Durham has spent at least $6.5 million on inquiry into Trump-Russia probe", "Primary source for Trump-Russia dossier acquitted, handing special counsel Durham another trial loss", "Steele dossier source acquitted, in loss for special counsel Durham", "Washington's Most Powerful, Least Famous People", "Attorney General Holder Recognizes Department Employees and Others for Their Service at Annual Awards Ceremony", "US attorney's 'apolitical' reputation on the line as he helps Barr review the Russia probe", Department of Justice corruption allegations, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Durham&oldid=1138683371, United States Attorneys for the District of Connecticut, United States Department of Justice lawyers, University of Connecticut School of Law alumni, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 00:50. An American Senator once described Durham as tough-nosed, apolitical, and serious.. "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. The regulations regarding special counsels are pretty clear about what Mr. Durham does, Garland told reporters on Dec. 6. Durham resigned as U.S. Attorney effective February 28, 2021. July 24, 2021 August 7, 2021 Brian Cates Trump Had To Step Aside So The American People Could Be . Secure .gov websites use HTTPS It would also lead to the first Trump impeachment. The FBI used those reports to justify obtaining secret surveillance orders targeting former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page to advance the agencys probe of possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. He investigated this allegation for over two years before he closed the case. Muellers prosecutors charged 34 people, including 26 Russian nationals. [11] From 1982 to 1989, he served as an attorney and then supervisor in the New Haven Field Office of the Boston Strike Force in the Justice Department's Organized Crime and Racketeering Section. Such a predilection is a characteristic of autocracies, and resistance to it has long been baked into the traditions of the Justice Department. Special Counsels Office 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. 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. [39][40], According to CNN, Durham is "press-shy" and is known for his tendency to avoid the media. | U.S. Department of Justice/AP Photo. The FBI and congressional investigators both examined the pings between the computer systems and determined they were innocuous. Washington DC 20530, Contact the Department JOHN IRWIN OBITUARY. Yet they kept him on board, kept paying him. Sussmann told Baker that he wasn't passing the information along at the behest of any client. 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. and last updated 2021-09-27 20:28:55-04. This particular office investigated and prosecuted organized crime, especially racketeering. John Durham is said to have a net worth of $1.5 million as of 2022. The precise scope of Durhams mandate has never been clear. Copyright 2010-2021 This Nation. seeks resignations of Trump-era US attorneys", "What Is a Special Counsel and What Can They Do? [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. . | (U.S. Department of Justice via AP). He is 5 10 in height, and he weighs approximately 187 lbs. A 2019 report by the Justice Department inspector general already had found significant problems with Danchenkos information, but the indictment by Durhams team painted a vivid picture of how the allegations were riddled with rumors and outright falsehoods. Does everybody remember when we caught the Democrats, red-handed, SPYING ON MY CAMPAIGN? Meadows referral creates new legal, political challenges for AG Garland. 2021 4:58 PM ET. It also details meetings that Sussmann had with a partner at his law firm who was general counsel to the Clinton campaign as well as a tech executive who was a client of Sussmann's and researchers about purported links between Trump Organization computer systems and a Russian bank. He has been appointed a special investigator by the federal government as well. He blew the whistle on Trumps Truth Social. From his Russia, if youre listening remark about finding Hillary Clintons missing emails to his repeatedly asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to announce an investigation into Hunter Biden in return for military aid, Trump has always shown his appetite for using investigations as political weapons. [15] He also led a series of high-profile prosecutions in Connecticut against the New England Mafia and corrupt politicians, including former Governor John G. And under questioning from Democratic staff, Baker added that he wouldnt have viewed the information differently had he been aware of Sussmanns link to the campaign. 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. [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. Therefore, many details regarding his early life are unknown. 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. Sussmann worked on cybersecurity and privacy issues at the law firm Perkins Coie. Several years later, however, Durham always appears quiet, professional, and definitely apolitical. Clinesmithwas sentenced in January to probation. Of course, that did not mean that people were not aware of which cases were politically sensitive. 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. This story has been shared 139,238 times. The public learns information from court filings submitted by Durham, who even utilizes highly professional methods of identifying witnesses by using a professional title or some other moniker that does not identify the individual (for instance, Durham will use Tech Executive 1 to describe a person rather than a given name). The deaths of two different Gitmo detainees were investigated, but, when the investigation was complete, no charges were filed. In a statement issued prior to the indictment, Sussmanns lawyers insisted that their client was innocent and they suggested that politics were at work in the decision to charge their client. [22][23][24] On November 8, 2010, Durham closed the investigation without recommending any criminal charges be filed. However, even though the report was intended to remain secret, report Charlie Savage attempted to use FISA in order to see the results of Durhams investigation, but the attempt was unsuccessful. Paul Bedard | March 06, 2023 11:26 AM. Sussmann, who worked through his firm as an attorney for the Hillary Clinton campaign, is accused in a grand jury indictment returned Thursday of a single felony count of making a false statement during a September 2016 meeting with FBI General Counsel James Baker. 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. [25] Durham's final report remains secret but was the subject of an unsuccessful lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act filed by The New York Times reporter Charlie Savage. Republicans have grown impatient with the probe, while still hoping for a report that will vindicate former President Donald Trumps charge that the original inquiry was a thinly veiled and unfounded political attack. And in all of the regular reports she received from line prosecutors, supervisors and heads of divisions, that concern was never brought up. By KELLY HOOPER and JOSH GERSTEIN. In separate congressional testimony, Baker told lawmakers that Sussmann told him "that he had cyber experts that had obtained some information that they thought they should get into the hands of the FBI.". He also billed the Clinton campaign for meetings with journalists about the same materials. Its significance lies in how evenhandedly his case is treated. Attorneys President Joe Biden asked to resign in February 2021. Thanks for contacting us. [17] On October 19, 2020, Barr appointed Durham Special Counsel to lead the Durham special counsel investigation in an effort to ensure the investigation continued after the Trump administration ended. 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. U.S. Attorney John Durham, center, outside federal court in New Haven, Connecticut in February 2021 Sussmann's allies believed they found some potentially alarming links from Trump to Russia,. Along with investigating Connolly, Durhams FBI team gathered evidence regarding a retired agent, H. Paul Rico. Congressional investigators asked Sussmann in 2017 about this episode with Baker. But Baker emphasized that he intentionally avoided learning more about the claim. Special Prosecutor John Durham has charged Washington lawyer Michael Sussmann with lying to the FBI. The Debrief with Tim Carney: Who will take the blame for all the COVID lockdowns? [7] Durham was given the authority "to broadly examin[e] the government's collection of intelligence involving the Trump campaign's interactions with Russians," reviewing government documents and requesting voluntary witness statements. 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. [20] He remains Special Counsel as of January 2023. Prior to that, Durham broughtan indictment against attorney Michael Sussmann, alleging that Sussmann similarly misled the FBI in the early stages of its probe. [38], In 2004, Durham was decorated with the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service and, in 2012, with the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service. The special prosecutor probing the origins of the federal investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, John Durham, has charged Washington . By 1994, Durham had become a Deputy United States Attorney General. One such notable case was that of John G. Rowland. 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. Durham would be responsible for the successful prosecution of John J. Connolly, Jr. (Connollys story with Bulger was immortalized on film in Black Mass). Durhams career spans nearly fifty years, and it is certain he earned pensions and other compensation as a federal prosecutor as well. 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. Sussmann also tried to deliver similar material to another undisclosed agency in December 2016, after Trump had won the election. To date, Garland has said little about the level of DOJs oversight into Durhams activities, other than to say they are following the Justice Departments rules regarding special counsels. was arrested Thursday in Northern Virginia onan indictment that special counsel John Durham obtained charging the Russian-born researcher with five felony counts of . At the senior leadership level, great deference was given to career officials like the legendary David Margolis who had served in multiple administrations. 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. [3][11] After graduation, he was a VISTA volunteer for two years (19751977) on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. Ryan King | February 09 . However, little else is known about Durhams personal wealth. 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. ", "U.S. launches criminal probe into CIA tapes", "Veteran prosecutor takes over CIA probe", "No Criminal Charges Sought Over C.I.A. Durham alleged that Sussmann had billed time working on the issue to the Clinton campaign. In November the special counsel indicted Igor Danchenko, a Washington-based Russian migr who was an important source for the contentious Steele dossier that served an important role in the initial phases of the FBI inquiry Durham is now investigating. A lock ( It was closed in 2012 with no charges filed. [20] He remains Special Counsel as of January 2023. The spending, detailed in documents released Wednesday by the Department of Justice, coincides with an uptick in activity from Durham in recent months. The special counsel designation provides an additional degree of insulation from the regular DOJ apparatus. John Durham has a stellar reputation for investigating corruption. Law And Order. John Durham is 71 years old. 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". That includes roughly more than $2.3 million between April 1 and Sept. 30. After all, Danchenko, like Sussmann, is charged with lying to the FBI, and a jury may once again be left to wonder whether the bureau was actually fooled.

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john durham 2021