CNN Host Insists Durham’s Report ‘Does Exonerate’ Trump in Russia Probe

Special Counsel John Durham’s report on the FBI’s 2016 Russia probe is “devastating” for the bureau, but great news for former President Donald Trump , according to a CNN host. CNN’s Jake Tapper discussed the report…

Bradley CortrightMay 16, 20233 min read

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In a 306-page report, Durham lays out a series of criticisms of how the FBI handled its investigation into whether members of Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russian operatives.

Durham argued the FBI moved quickly in 2016 to investigate a tip about contacts between a Trump campaign aide and a Russian official. However, he said the bureau did not have additional information to corroborate the tip, and the investigation was launched without a proper basis.

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The report states the FBI’s move to launch the Trump investigation “based on raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence also reflected a noticeable departure from how it approached” allegations involving Clinton.

It alleges the FBI was more skeptical of allegations foreign governments considered donating to Hillary Clinton’s campaign to gain influence.

Durham also found FBI officials did not conduct a thorough enough review of information it took in from groups or people with a political affiliation. And his report accused the FBI of relying on leads from Trump’s political opponents.

In 2019, Special Counsel Robert Muellerreleased a report that found “numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump Campaign.” However, he did not find evidence to back up allegations of a conspiracy.

And in December 2019, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz released a report sharing several “significant concerns” about the FBI’s Russia probe.

His report listed several “factual misstatements and omissions” made to help get a warrant for Trump campaign aide Carter Paige.

However, he stated, “Opening the investigation was in compliance with and FBI policies, and we did not find documentary or testimonial evidence that political bias or improper motivation influenced” the investigation.

After Durham’s report was released, Trump told Fox News, “I, and much more importantly, the American public have been victims of this long-running and treasonous charade started by the Democrats — started by Comey.”

“There must be a heavy price to pay for putting our country through this,” he continued, adding, “It turned out to be a giant and very dangerous hoax.”