Attorney General Expects Durham Report ‘Relatively Soon’

Attorney General Merrick Garland indicated on Tuesday during his testimony before a Senate committee that the report of John Durham’s special counsel investigation is expected to be completed soon. Durham is investigating potential misconduct associated with the Trump-Russia probe. During the hearing, Senator John Kennedy raised questions about Michael Sussmann, former attorney for Hillary Clinton’s campaign who was cleared of charges of lying to the FBI, having a badge to enter the Bureau’s headquarters in 2016. When Kennedy asked Garland about the same, the Attorney General replied that he would wait until Durham completes his report, which is expected to be “relatively soon.”

Garland made it clear that he does not want to interfere with Durham’s investigation in any way. It is worth noting that Durham has been working on this inquiry for close to four years and resigned as U.S. attorney following President Biden’s inauguration. Nevertheless, Garland allowed the special counsel’s probe to continue. During his testimony in October 2021, Garland stated that he hopes to make “as much as possible” of Durham’s report public, but not if “he has to be concerned about Privacy Act concerns and classification.”

Durham has secured one guilty plea over the course of the investigation so far. Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith had to admit falsifying a document to renew FISA surveillance authority on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Clinesmith was spared prison time but faced a one-year bar suspension. Meanwhile, Durham’s investigation has been cheered on by former President Donald Trump and his allies, while his opponents claim that it is a politically tainted endeavor intended to discredit special counsel Robert Mueller and top officials from the FBI.

The investigation has also encountered setbacks. Prosecutions against Michael Sussmann and Igor Danchenko ended in acquittal. Democrats have begun to call for investigations into Durham’s activity.