William Barr says Durham report shows Russia investigation was a ‘grave injustice’ to Trump
Former Attorney General William Barr said the newly released Durham report proved that the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election was a “grave injustice” to President Donald Trump.
“I think the real story here from the FBI’s perspective is what an abomination this was, this so-called investigation,” he said on Fox News’ “Special Report” Tuesday. “If it wasn’t a witch hunt, it’s a damn good imitation of one.”
Barr, who appointed Justice Department prosecutor John Durham to investigate the FBI probe, said he believes the long-awaited, four-year review revealed the realities about the Russia investigation — which in the end found no direct evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia.
“I take away from it that it was a success in that its purpose from the very beginning was to get to the truth,” he said. “It was not launched as a criminal investigation. And people who compare it to the Mueller investigation are simply wrong.”
Barr added that Durham has “gotten as close to the bottom [of the Russia probe] as anyone is going to get to this” in his investigation.
Durham found that the FBI rushed to conclusions and relied on unconfirmed intelligence when it began the Trump-Russia investigation.
What to know about the bombshell Durham report
Special counsel John Durham completed a four-year review of the FBI’s investigation of allegations that Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia
Durham found the FBI’s probe was “seriously flawed” and had no basis in evidence, according to a 306-page report released Monday.
The special prosecutor found that FBI officials “discounted or willfully ignored material information that did not support the narrative of a collusive relationship between Trump and Russia.”
Durham also found investigators put too much faith in information provided by Trump’s political opponents and carried out surveillance of Trump campaign adviser Carter Page without genuinely believing there was probable cause to do so.
Despite the scathing findings, Durham did not recommend criminal prosecutions or widespread FBI reforms, writing that “the answer is not the creation of new rules but a renewed fidelity to the old.”
Durham’s investigation lasted more than four years, longer than the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe itself.
He also claimed that the investigators often fell victim to “confirmation bias” in that they failed to see conflicting information that undermined the premise of their probe.
Barr lauded his former boss for working through what Trump has called a “witch hunt.”
“[Trump] deserves a lot of credit for what he accomplished,” he said in the interview. “And this [Russiagate] was a grave injustice. And the fact that he was able to accomplish a lot in the face of it, I think was a great achievement.”
However, Barr said Trump no longer has the same power to unite the Republican Party as he did back then and won’t endorse Trump in his bid for the 2024 Republican nomination for president.
“My own view is that he will not win the nomination,” he said. “And I have nothing personal against him … But I just don’t think he’s the right leader for the Republican Party going forward.”
