Balls to the Wall: Durham Moving Ahead at Full Throttle

AP Photo/Bob Child, File
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FILE – In this April 25, 2006, file photo, John Durham speaks to reporters on the steps of U.S. District Court in New Haven, Conn. On Monday, Aug. 24, 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder is assigned prosecutor John Durham to investigate CIA mistreatment of terror suspects. (AP Photo/Bob Child, File)
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Throughout Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation, Andrew Weissmann who likely ran the show, saw to it that cherry picked bits of information derogatory to President Trump, were strategically leaked to the media, with whom they worked hand in glove. The regularity of the soundbites made it impossible to forget that the probe was ongoing. Mueller was suddenly the most powerful man in Washington and the President always seemed to be just days away from being hauled off to prison.

Far from being a constant figure in the news, we hear little about the U.S. Attorney from Connecticut, John Durham.

Mueller, who was tasked by acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to ostensibly look for evidence that Trump had colluded with the Russians to win the presidency and then obstructing justice by asking then-FBI Director James Comey to go easy on General Flynn, knew before he began that his was a bogus mission. The Mueller team spent their time searching for a crime.

The Durham team has a much more serious duty. They were tasked with solving crimes. We never hear specific leaks from members of this team. That said, every now and then, sources “with knowledge of the investigation” seem to issue progress reports to Fox News or to Just the News‘ John Solomon.

On Monday morning, Fox reported that, according to their sources, the Durham investigation is going at “full throttle.” Several weeks ago, we heard that Durham had added both additional FBI agents as well as more prosecutors.

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Two sources told Fox News that Jeff Jensen, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, whom Attorney General William Barr appointed in February to independently review the Flynn case,  is staying on to help Durham in his continuing investigation. Additionally, Fox was told that interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Timothy Shea “is also assisting with components of the investigation.”

One of the sources said, “They farmed the investigation out because it is too much for Durham and he didn’t want to be distracted. He’s going full throttle, and they’re looking at everything.”

The other said that the “pattern of conduct Durham is investigating includes misrepresentations made to the FISA court to obtain warrants to surveil Trump campaign associate Carter Page.” That tells us they could be looking at anyone from Kevin Clinesmith, the now fired FBI lawyer who altered an email to say that Carter Page did not have a prior relationship with the CIA to anyone who signed off on any of the FISA Court applications. We know that Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Horowitz identified serious errors and omissions in the FBI’s dealings with the FISA court.

When the FBI applied for the second and third renewals for the warrant to spy on Carter Page, they knew the Steele dossier had been totally discredited and still used it as the basis for those applications. The actions of the FBI throughout the FISA process, I believe, went well beyond corruption. If you or I had committed the same offenses, we would be charged with crimes.

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Several weeks ago, Fox reported that, “Barr talks to Durham every day. The president has been briefed that the case is being pursued, and it’s serious…They’ve asked the president to say nothing about it and not screw it up. He is laying back for a change.”

The investigation is still expected to wrap up at some point this summer.

The sources still haven’t divulged anything specific, which is actually the way investigations are supposed to be conducted. No leaks, no fireworks. We know that Durham is a professional, he’s serious, meticulous, he’s looking at everything, he’s working at full throttle and has required extra help. Additionally, the U.S. attorney who recommended the DOJ should drop charges against Gen. Flynn, Jeff Jensen, is staying on to assist in the case.

Now, about that “bombshell” we were told to expect this week…

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