Trump and his Republican allies were counting on the Durham probe to discredit the Russia investigation. Instead, John Durham is attacking his own witnesses.
The final expected trial of special counsel John Durham’s probe took an unexpected turn Wednesday, with Durham grilling and rebuking his own witness after the witness seemed to bolster the defense of Igor Danchenko, a key Steele dossier source.
The dynamic was surprising because it was Durham’s first witness. And at times, while Durham personally questioned the witness, he strayed from the narrow case against Danchenko and focused more on the FBI’s mistakes in 2016 as it investigated then-candidate Donald Trump.
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Durham having to attack his own first witness was a fitting topper to an investigation that has been a years-long spectacular failure. Durham was supposed to prove that the FBI spied on Trump and that the Russia probe was bogus. Trump pinned his hopes on Durham to make his Russia problems go away.
Instead, the only other case that Durham brought resulted in a fast acquittal, and now the man chosen to investigate the investigators is seeing his own witness weaken his case.
The investigation was an epic failure because it was based on a sham.
Durham isn’t making Trump’s Russia problem go away. He is only confirming what was already known. The FBI wasn’t out to get Trump. They were investigating his associates because they were working with Russia to help the former president.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
