AG Barr: Durham Probe Has Found Evidence a 'Group of People' Tried to 'Topple' Trump
Attorney general gives bombshell update on Russia hoax origins investigation
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U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr has revealed that the criminal investigation, also known as the Durham Probe, into the origins of the anti-Trump Russia hoax, has uncovered bombshell new evidence.
According to AG Barr, the probe, led by U.S. Attorney John Durham, has exposed a "wilful" Obara-era "group of people" involved in an attempt to "topple" President Donald Trump and remove him from office.
The attorney general gave the update on Durham's probe, into the origin of the Obama-era FBI counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign, during an interview with Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberley Strassel.
After recently announcing his departure from the Justice Department, Barr told Strassel that he is now “in a position in life where I can do the right thing and not really care about the consequences.”
As Neon Nettle reported last week, President Trump revealed that Barr had resigned and would leave the DOJ at Christmas and "spend the holidays with his family."
Attorney Lin Wood, who was behind the "Kraken" lawsuits in Georgia and elsewhere, responded to the news by predicting that the resignation would open up a pathway for Barr to make some "major moves" before he leaves.
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"I believe Barr will announce major moves before 12/23 but does not want to stay to prosecute," Wood said on Twitter.
"He has done his job & served country well.
"New AG & assistants will prosecute the massive number of cases coming."
Bill Barr is a Patriot. His letter to @realDonaldTrump was excellent. I believe Barr will announce major moves before 12/23 but does not want to stay to prosecute. He has done his job & served country well. New AG & assistants will prosecute the massive number of cases coming.
— Lin Wood (@LLinWood) December 14, 2020
Regrading her interview with Barr, Strassel wrote:
He reminds me why he took the job in the first place: “The Department of Justice was being used as a political weapon” by a “willful if small group of people,” who used the claim of collusion with Russia in an attempt to “topple an administration,” he says.
“Someone had to make sure that the power of the department stopped being abused and that there was accountability for what had happened.”
Mr. Barr largely succeeded, in the process filling a vacuum of political oversight, reimposing norms, and resisting partisan critics on both sides.
Mr. Barr describes an overarching objective of ensuring that there is “one standard of justice.”
That, he says, is why he appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham to investigate the FBI’s 2016 Crossfire Hurricane probe.
“Of course the Russians did bad things in the election,” he says.
“But the idea that this was done with the collusion of the Trump campaign — there was never any evidence. It was entirely made up.”
The country deserved to know how the world’s premier law-enforcement agency came to target and spy on a presidential campaign.
Mr. Barr says Mr. Durham’s appointment should not have been necessary.
Mr. Mueller’s investigation should have exposed FBI malfeasance.
Instead, “the Mueller team seems to have been ready to blindly accept anything fed to it by the system,” Mr. Barr says, adding that this “is exactly what DOJ should not be.”
Barr acknowledged that he understood why people were upset that results from the investigation were not released before the election.
He noted, however, that there were logistical issues that prevented that from happening.
The AG said problems range from the pandemic delaying federal grand juries for six months to U.S. Attorney John Durham being forced to wait till the end of 2019 for Inspector General Michael Horowitz to complete his investigation into the FBI’s conduct.
Barr suggested that those who seek justice should not lose heart just because Durham was not being loud in carrying out his business.
He assured the public that prosecutors who “break more china” do not “necessarily get the results.”
Strassel continued:
The biggest news from Mr. Durham’s probe is what he has ruled out.
Mr. Barr was initially suspicious that agents had been spying on the Trump campaign before the official July 2016 start date of Crossfire Hurricane, and that the Central Intelligence Agency or foreign intelligence had played a role.
But even prior to naming Mr. Durham special counsel, Mr. Barr had come to the conclusion that he didn’t “see any sign of improper CIA activity” or “foreign government activity before July 2016,” he says.
“The CIA stayed in its lane.”
Mr. Barr says Mr. Durham’s probe is now tightly focused on “the conduct of Crossfire Hurricane, the small group at the FBI that was most involved in that,” as well as “the activities of certain private actors.” (Mr. Barr doesn’t elaborate.)
Mr. Durham has publicly stated he’s not convinced the FBI team had an adequate “predicate” to launch an investigation.
In September, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe declassified a document showing that the FBI was warned in 2016 that the Hillary Clinton campaign might be behind the “collusion” claims.
Barr said that the FBI’s conduct during their counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign was “outrageous.”
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Barr weighed in on his decision to not divulge information that Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, is under federal criminal investigation over his taxes and foreign business dealings.
"A lot of Republicans think that’s playing by Robert’s Rules — you are being soft on the other side,” Barr said.
"And I understand that frustration."
"It’s painful that the system is used against Republicans and there is an AG not willing to do the same thing against Democrats.
"But that is the only way we find our way back.”
"Think about the power it would give the federal bureaucracy,” Barr said.
"The standard for investigating someone is low.
"So just gin up an investigation, make it public, affect every election.”
