- Former special counsel John Durham releases report criticizing FBI's investigation of Russia's involvement in Donald Trump's 2016 campaign
- The sweeping 300-page report argued that the agency initiated the probe over vague and insufficient information
- Durham claims that the FBI had confirmation bias among sensitive investigations
Trump-era special counsel John Durham releases his four-year-long report criticizing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over its investigation of Russia's involvement in the former president's campaign.
The sweeping 300-page report made public on Monday, accused the FBI of conducting the probe over vague and insufficient information. Former Attorney General Bill Barr named Durham to examine the origins and conduct of the investigation of whether or not former President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Moscow.
John Durham Releases Four-Year-Long Report
Durham noted in his report that the Department of Justice and the FBI could not uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law. The report's conclusion added that senior FBI personnel needed more analytical rigor toward the data and information they gathered, as per NBC News.
In response to the report, the FBI said that the missteps Durham identified have already been addressed. The statement added that the agency implemented dozens of corrective actions following the conduct seen in 2016 and 2017.
Officials argued that if the reforms had already been in place in 2016, the identified missteps in Durham's report would have been prevented. They added that the conclusion reinforces the importance of ensuring that the agency can continuously conduct its work with the rigor, objectivity, and professionalism that the people of the US deserve and expect.
Durham's Monday report comes after he lost the only two prosecutions that he brought to court, seemingly in an attempt to appeal to the court of public opinion. He argued that FBI officials unfairly treated the former president by being too quick to unleash the agency's investigative powers.
FBI Investigation of Donald Trump
The report accused the FBI of acting on "raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence," including confirmation bias. Durham argued that this was seen when the agency ignored information that undercut the initial premise of the probe, according to BBC.
Moreover, Durham's report noted significant differences in how the agency handled the Trump probe compared to other potentially sensitive investigations. These include those that involved the former president's 2016 electoral rival, Hillary Clinton.
Durham said that Clinton and several others received "defensive briefings" from the FBI aimed at individuals foreign powers may have targeted. The list of people that received these briefings did not include the former president.
Despite the claims made in the report, Durham only provided little substantial new information regarding the investigation. Furthermore, it failed to produce any major revelations that call into question the FBI's alleged politically motivated misconduct over its investigation of Trump.
The report also referenced a conspiracy theory that many Trump supporters used, that the FBI investigation was because of the Steele dossier. This was opposition research said to be illegally funded by the Clinton campaign, claims later discredited, said the New York Times.
