{"id":559687,"date":"2021-06-10T16:21:19","date_gmt":"2021-06-10T20:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=559687"},"modified":"2021-06-10T16:24:49","modified_gmt":"2021-06-10T20:24:49","slug":"infographic-timeline-of-the-durham-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/infographic-timeline-of-the-durham-investigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Infographic: Timeline of the Durham Investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Finfographic-timeline-of-the-durham-investigation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=559687&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><figure class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.epoch.cloud\/assets\/static_assets\/EpochTimes_infographic_The_Durham%20Investigation.jpg\" width=\"6600\" height=\"10406\"  style=\"display:none\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/EET_infographic_POSTER_The-Durham-Investigation_mediumres-1200x1892-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"782\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Click on infographic to enlarge.<\/figure>\n<p><em>News Analysis<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The investigation by special counsel John Durham into the origins of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-fbi\">FBI<\/a>\u2019s Russia\u2013Trump investigation\u2014Crossfire Hurricane\u2014has now been active for more than two years.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/us-attorney-john-durham-has-been-reviewing-origins-of-russia-probe-for-weeks-source\">Appointed<\/a> by Attorney General William Barr following the completion of Robert Mueller\u2019s special counsel investigation, Durham immediately began his work in the spring of 2019.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement of Durham\u2019s appointment was received with much publicity, but conservatives\u2019 hopes for a thorough investigation\u2014with charges for those who had surveilled the Trump campaign\u2014have slowly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2021\/may\/13\/wheres-durham-investigation-russia-collusion-probe\/\">faded<\/a> over time.<\/p>\n<p>Barr initially indicated that Durham\u2019s investigation would be completed by the summer of 2020, but as the presidential election <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2020\/07\/28\/barr-pre-election-release-durham-report-385244\">loomed closer<\/a>, it became apparent that the findings of Durham\u2019s probe wouldn\u2019t not be released until at least 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Just before the 2020 election, Barr appointed Durham as a s<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/election-2020-donald-trump-robert-mueller-statutes-elections-ae0275b4eb23981c1e6fbf9fc49c3239\">pecial counsel<\/a>, a move designed to thwart potential pushback from a new administration.<\/p>\n<p>And while interest and speculation continue to surround Durham\u2019s investigation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/durham-probe-status-trump-frustration\">few details<\/a> have been made public. Here, we provide an overview of what we know to date.<\/p>\n<h2>The Beginnings of the Durham Investigation<\/h2>\n<p>Durham, then-U.S. attorney for Connecticut, was appointed by Barr to look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/tom-fitton-spygate-the-worst-corruption-scandal-in-american-history_2869268.html\">factual disconnect<\/a> between the FBI\u2019s official narrative on the opening of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into the Trump campaign and the actual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/rep-devin-nunes-spygate-is-greatest-political-scandal-in-modern-us-history-and-hes-still-investigating_3132743.html\">underlying evidence<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Durham\u2019s investigation may have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/us-attorney-john-durham-has-been-reviewing-origins-of-russia-probe-for-weeks-source\">begun sooner<\/a> than many people are aware. Notably, just three days after Mueller had concluded his investigation on March 22, 2019, Barr and his closest advisers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/05\/20\/politics\/barr-russia-prosecutor-mueller\/index.html\">met personally<\/a> with Durham. Then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/05\/20\/politics\/barr-russia-prosecutor-mueller\/index.html\">not<\/a> included in these meetings.<\/p>\n<p>The next month, on April 9 and 10, 2019, Barr <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/barr-reveals-he-is-reviewing-conduct-of-fbis-original-russia-probe\">testified<\/a> before Congress that he was reviewing the FBI\u2019s Russia\u2013Trump investigation. Three days later, it was reported by CNN that \u201ca senior Barr aide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/05\/20\/politics\/barr-russia-prosecutor-mueller\/index.html\">arranged<\/a> for Durham to meet with Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz,\u201d who at the time was investigating the FBI and Justice Department\u2019s (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-doj\">DOJ<\/a>\u2019s) handling of FISA warrants used in Crossfire Hurricane.<\/p>\n<p>That meeting may have been intended to bring Durham up to speed on the work done by Inspector General Michael Horowitz on the FBI\u2019s improper use of FISA warrants, or it may have been to delineate <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/doj-watchdog-finds-errors-fbis-handling-surveillance-warrants\/story?id=69898638\">Horowitz\u2019s work<\/a> and the work that Durham was about to embark on.<\/p>\n<p>Barr would meet at least <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/05\/20\/politics\/barr-russia-prosecutor-mueller\/index.html\">two more times<\/a> in April with Durham.<\/p>\n<p>On May 13, 2019, President Donald Trump issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/publicpool.kinja.com\/subject-memorandum-on-agency-cooperation-with-attorney-1834993466\">memorandum<\/a> giving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-declassification\">declassification<\/a> authorization to Barr at his request. Barr later stated in an interview with CBS that he also had ongoing support from U.S. intelligence agencies\u2014specifically naming Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and CIA Director Gina Haspel as being on board.<\/p>\n<p>That same day, it was reported for the first time, by The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/05\/13\/us\/politics\/russia-investigation-justice-department-review.html\">New York Times,<\/a> that Barr had selected Durham \u201cto get to the bottom of the Justice Department\u2019s investigation into members of the Trump presidential campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/new-details-on-spygate-mueller-ongoing-investigations-revealed-in-barr-interview_2946629.html\">the investigation<\/a> that had been reportedly conducted by U.S. Attorney John Huber into FISA abuse was being taken over personally by Durham and his team.<\/p>\n<h2>Initial Focus on CIA and Foreign Nations<\/h2>\n<p>One of the first steps taken by Durham in June 2019 was to find out more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/06\/12\/us\/politics\/russia-investigation-cia.html\">the CIA\u2019s knowledge<\/a> of details surrounding the alleged Russian interference campaign, along with any intelligence that may have flowed to the FBI from the CIA in the summer of 2016.<\/p>\n<p>In the summer of 2019, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/attorney-general-barr-personally-asked-foreign-officials-to-aid-inquiry-into-cia-fbi-activities-in-2016\/2019\/09\/30\/d50cd5c4-e3a5-11e9-b403-f738899982d2_story.html\">Barr met with officials<\/a> from the United Kingdom. Afterward, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/attorney-general-barr-personally-asked-foreign-officials-to-aid-inquiry-into-cia-fbi-activities-in-2016\/2019\/09\/30\/d50cd5c4-e3a5-11e9-b403-f738899982d2_story.html\">a UK official claimed<\/a> that \u201cBarr expressed a belief that the U.S. investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election stemmed from some corrupt origin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barr is said to have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/attorney-general-barr-personally-asked-foreign-officials-to-aid-inquiry-into-cia-fbi-activities-in-2016\/2019\/09\/30\/d50cd5c4-e3a5-11e9-b403-f738899982d2_story.html\">further expressed<\/a> \u201ca suspicion that information had been improperly gathered overseas about people connected with the Trump campaign and that the British may have unwittingly assisted those efforts,\u201d according to an official cited by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/attorney-general-barr-personally-asked-foreign-officials-to-aid-inquiry-into-cia-fbi-activities-in-2016\/2019\/09\/30\/d50cd5c4-e3a5-11e9-b403-f738899982d2_story.html\">The Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Durham\u2019s early focus on overseas aspects of the investigation was confirmed by a Sept. 25, 2019, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/politics\/live-news\/trump-impeachment-inquiry-09-25-2019\/h_619f3c67775916f27e22898fbed210f2\">DOJ statement<\/a>, which noted that Durham was \u201cexploring the extent to which a number of countries, including Ukraine, played a role in the counterintelligence investigation directed at the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The statement went on to say that certain Ukrainians, who weren\u2019t members of the Ukrainian government, had volunteered information to Durham.<\/p>\n<p>Immediately following the DOJ statement, Barr and Durham <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/misfuds-cell-phones-obtained-by-durham-could-answer-key-russiagate-questions_3120862.html\">both traveled<\/a> to Italy on Sept. 27, 2017, and an official at the U.S. Embassy in Italy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/barr-went-to-rome-to-hear-a-secret-tape-from-joseph-mifsud-the-professor-who-helped-ignite-the-russia-probe\">noted<\/a> that \u201cthey had to scramble to accommodate Barr\u2019s sudden arrival.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barr and Durham\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/misfuds-cell-phones-obtained-by-durham-could-answer-key-russiagate-questions_3120862.html\">meetings<\/a> with Italian intelligence officials occurred \u201cafter getting authorisation from the Italian prime minister, Giuseppe Conte,\u201d according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2019\/oct\/02\/us-attorney-general-william-barr-met-italian-officials-to-discuss-russiagate\">The Guardian<\/a>. The two men were in Italy, according to the article, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2019\/oct\/02\/us-attorney-general-william-barr-met-italian-officials-to-discuss-russiagate\">order to<\/a> \u201cfind out whether Italy had played a role in the so-called Russiagate affair, whether secret documents had been obtained and, in particular, to collate information on Joseph Mifsud.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mifsud is supposed to have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/key-russian-contact-in-the-collusion-narrative-tied-to-western-intelligence-instead_2548079.html\">told<\/a> Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos that the Russian government had dirt on Hillary Clinton. This claim, while <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/hilltv\/rising\/404275-what-professor-really-told-fbi-about-trump-russia-and-papadopoulos\">disputed<\/a> by Mifsud, would not have been particularly unusual, since many journalists and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HansMahncke\/status\/1205930771346862083\">commentators<\/a> were discussing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/paulroderickgregory\/2016\/02\/12\/vladimir-putin-hillary-clinton-emails\/?sh=515c8c9f7d04\">this issue<\/a> at the time. Downer later took that information from Papadopoulos to U.S. authorities, an event that the FBI claims kicked off the Russia\u2013Trump investigation.<\/p>\n<h2>A Shift in Durham\u2019s Investigation<\/h2>\n<p>The Italy trip marked a significant shift in Durham\u2019s investigation\u2014moving from the gathering of background evidence to the active interviewing of witnesses.<\/p>\n<p>Barr and Durham reportedly had at least two meetings with Italian intelligence officials on Sept. 27, 2019, when they listened to a tape recording of a deposition given by Mifsud after he had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/misfuds-cell-phones-obtained-by-durham-could-answer-key-russiagate-questions_3120862.html\">applied for<\/a> police protection in Italy. Additionally, Barr and Durham were reportedly shown other evidence the Italians had on Mifsud.<\/p>\n<p>On Sept. 30, 2019, the <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/463738-doj-says-trump-contacted-foreign-countries-to-assist-barrs-russia\">DOJ confirmed<\/a> that Durham was gathering information from numerous sources, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/attorney-general-barr-personally-asked-foreign-officials-to-aid-inquiry-into-cia-fbi-activities-in-2016\/2019\/09\/30\/d50cd5c4-e3a5-11e9-b403-f738899982d2_story.html\">British and Italian governments<\/a>. That same day, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/09\/30\/us\/politics\/trump-australia-barr-mueller.html\">a news report confirmed<\/a> that the Australian government was also cooperating with Durham. In an apparent reference to the CIA and FBI, Barr <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/attorney-general-barr-personally-asked-foreign-officials-to-aid-inquiry-into-cia-fbi-activities-in-2016\/2019\/09\/30\/d50cd5c4-e3a5-11e9-b403-f738899982d2_story.html\">reportedly told<\/a> foreign officials that he wanted to make sure that the rules governing U.S. agencies had been followed.<\/p>\n<p>In October 2019, Durham <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawfareblog.com\/durham-investigation-what-we-know-and-what-it-means\">personally traveled<\/a> to the UK for the purposes of interviewing two key witnesses\u2014Alexander Downer and his assistant Erika Thompson\u2014whose roles were integral to the stated reasons behind the FBI\u2019s opening of Crossfire Hurricane.<\/p>\n<p>In advance of his meeting with Downer, Durham reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theaustralian.com.au\/world\/i-didnt-try-to-foil-donald-trump-says-alexander-downer\/news-story\/ce0716d07f9caec3668eadf387b6ff20\">reviewed the communication<\/a> that was sent to the FBI which, according to the FBI\u2019s official narrative, instigated its investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Downer is believed to have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theaustralian.com.au\/world\/i-didnt-try-to-foil-donald-trump-says-alexander-downer\/news-story\/ce0716d07f9caec3668eadf387b6ff20\">told<\/a> Durham and his investigators that he wasn\u2019t part of any conspiracy to undermine Trump\u2019s election campaign\u2014he was merely passing on information that he received from Papadopoulos.<\/p>\n<p>Around this same time, former CIA Director John Brennan <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DeadlineWH\/status\/1179522092200579073?s=20\">publicly stated<\/a> that he expected to be interviewed by Durham, telling MSNBC\u2019s Nicolle Wallace, \u201cI don\u2019t understand the predication of this worldwide effort to try to uncover dirt\u2014real or imagined\u2014that would discredit that investigation in 2016 into Russian interference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A week after Brennan\u2019s disclosure, it was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/durham-investigation-trump-campaign-surveillance-expanded-scope\">reported<\/a> that Durham was expanding his investigation, \u201cadding agents and resources,\u201d and had expanded the dates being examined, including a new \u201cpost-election timeline through the spring of 2017, up to when Robert Mueller was named special counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Durham had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/10\/19\/us\/politics\/durham-review-fbi-witnesses.html\">added<\/a> several former FBI officials to his investigative team.<\/p>\n<p>As Durham went about the process of his initial interviews, The New York Times reported that he had already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/10\/19\/us\/politics\/durham-review-fbi-witnesses.html\">interviewed<\/a> \u201cabout two dozen former and current F.B.I. officials\u201d and that the \u201cnumber of interviews shows that Mr. Durham\u2019s review is further along than previously known.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the dozens of FBI interviews, Durham\u2019s investigative team <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/10\/19\/us\/politics\/durham-review-fbi-witnesses.html\">reportedly<\/a> \u201cquestioned officials in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Durham also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/02\/13\/us\/politics\/durham-cia-russia.html\">reportedly interviewed<\/a> \u201caround a half-dozen current and former officials and analysts at the National Security Agency, including its former director, the retired Adm. Michael S. Rogers.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Criminal investigation<\/h2>\n<p>On Oct. 24, 2019, it was announced that Durham\u2019s investigation had shifted once again\u2014this time into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/10\/24\/politics\/barr-probe-russia-2016-criminal-investigation\/index.html\">criminal investigation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz released his <a href=\"https:\/\/oig.justice.gov\/reports\/2019\/o20012.pdf\">report<\/a> on the FBI\u2019s FISA warrant abuses on Dec. 9, 2019. Horowitz noted that he had not found \u201cany information other than the FFG [Alexander Downer] information was relied upon to predicate the opening of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a highly unusual move, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/statement-attorney-general-william-p-barr-inspector-generals-report-review-four-fisa\">Barr<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ct\/pr\/statement-us-attorney-john-h-durham\">Durham<\/a> immediately issued statements declaring that both disagreed with Horowitz\u2019s findings on this matter.<\/p>\n<p>Of particular note was the statement by Durham, who noted that \u201cour investigation has included developing information from other persons and entities, both in the U.S. and outside of the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Durham stated that \u201cbased on the evidence collected to date,\u201d he had advised Horowitz that his team \u201c[did] not agree with some of the report\u2019s conclusions as to predication and how the FBI case was opened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next day, during a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/video\/watch-william-barr-at-wsj-ceo-council\/FC078ACB-7C12-46BA-A937-3ED1868CAC4D.html\">Wall Street Journal CEO Council<\/a> conference, Barr detailed material problems with the FBI\u2019s FISA applications and the subsequent surveillance of members of the Trump campaign, telling the audience, \u201cIf you actually spend time looking at what happened, I think you\u2019d be appalled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Barr <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/attorney-general-barr-details-problems-with-fbis-surveillance-of-trump-campaign_3171512.html\">said<\/a>, \u201cIt\u2019s hard to look at this stuff and not think it was a gross abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Throughout 2019, Durham\u2019s investigation appeared to gain traction. His probe was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/durham-investigation-trump-campaign-surveillance-expanded-scope\">expanded<\/a>, along with the timeline of events he was investigating, and additional resources were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/10\/19\/us\/politics\/durham-review-fbi-witnesses.html\">added<\/a> to his team.<\/p>\n<p>On Jan. 9, 2020, the remainder of Huber\u2019s investigation was formally closed, with no tangible results. The bulk of Huber\u2019s investigation had previously been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/justice-dept-winds-down-clinton-related-inquiry-once-championed-by-trump-it-found-nothing-of-consequence\/2020\/01\/09\/ca83932e-32f9-11ea-a053-dc6d944ba776_story.html\">transferred<\/a> to Durham when Durham was appointed by Barr, but Huber had been tasked with looking into the Clinton Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>That <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-rips-u-s-attorney-tapped-by-sessions-to-review-clinton-who-did-absolutely-nothing\">nothing came<\/a> of Huber\u2019s work raised <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TomFitton\/status\/1297911648754307073\">alarms<\/a> for many conservatives in relation to the work being done by Durham.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018One of the Greatest Travesties in American History\u2019<\/p>\n<p>In late 2019 and into 2020, while Durham was in the process of interviewing those involved in the Russia\u2013Trump probe, the DOJ seemed to become increasingly cognizant of the sensitivities that came from operating in an election year.<\/p>\n<p>On Feb. 5, 2020, the day that Trump was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2020\/02\/05\/trump-impeachment-trial-senate-poised-vote-acquittal\/4655192002\/\">acquitted<\/a> in his first impeachment trial, Barr issued <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.house.gov\/meetings\/JU\/JU00\/20200624\/110836\/HHRG-116-JU00-20200624-SD009-U19.pdf\">a memo<\/a> that would have material ramifications for the outcome of the presidential election.<\/p>\n<p>Barr set new rules for investigations of \u201cpolitically sensitive individuals\u201d and required that no investigation be opened into a presidential campaign or associated individuals without his direct written approval. Of equal importance, Barr made clear that no publicization of any investigation, new or ongoing, be allowed.<\/p>\n<p>Many in the media <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/justice-department\/barr-says-no-investigations-2020-candidates-campaigns-without-his-approval-n1131836\">portrayed<\/a> Barr\u2019s directive as a swipe at the FBI\u2019s 2016 investigation, but the memo\u2019s real impact would be felt later in 2020 through the DOJ\u2019s silence on Hunter Biden.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, on Feb. 13, 2020, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/durham-reportedly-investigating-whether-cia-withheld-information-from-fbi-in-russia-probe_3237947.html\">it was reported<\/a> by The New York Times that Durham was examining the possibility that former CIA Director Brennan \u201chad a preconceived notion about Russia or was trying to get to a particular result\u2014and was nefariously trying to keep other agencies from seeing the full picture, lest they interfere with that goal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Durham was also reportedly looking into \u201chow information from foreign governments or the C.I.A. played any role in stoking suspicions at the F.B.I. about Trump campaign links to Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then, on April 3, 2020, Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-fires-michael-atkinson-intelligence-ig-who-told-congress-about-ukraine-phone-call-report\">fired<\/a> Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Michael Atkinson.<\/p>\n<p>Barr <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/492162-barr-says-trump-firing-inspector-general-was-right-thing\">pointed out<\/a> that Atkinson had materially overstepped his authority when he sent a whistleblower complaint directly to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) during the impeachment hearings, ignoring contradictory evidence and bypassing the Executive Branch in the process.<\/p>\n<p>Horowitz, who was fully aware of these details, would later defend Atkinson\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/doj-watchdog-criticizes-trumps-firing-of-igs-but-omits-key-facts-in-matter_3709653.html\">claiming<\/a> that Atkinson was fired for \u201cdoing his job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barr and Horowitz had previously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/statement-attorney-general-william-p-barr-inspector-generals-report-review-four-fisa\">disagreed<\/a> on the FBI\u2019s reasoning behind its opening of the Russia\u2013Trump investigation.<\/p>\n<p>On April 9, 2020, Barr made some of his strongest comments regarding the Durham investigation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/ag-william-barr-on-the-russia-investigation-theres-something-far-more-troubling-here\">telling Fox News<\/a> that he was \u201ctroubled by the findings from the probe of the FBI.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barr noted that what happened to Trump was \u201cone of the greatest travesties in American history,\u201d and said: \u201cWe\u2019re not dealing with just the mistakes or sloppiness. There was something far more troubling here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barr publicly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/10\/us\/politics\/barr-atkinson-trump.html\/\">promised<\/a>: \u201cWe\u2019re going to get to the bottom of it. And if people broke the law and we can establish that with the evidence, they will be prosecuted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Subsequent reporting on Durham\u2019s investigation appeared to back Barr\u2019s promise. The New York Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/24\/us\/politics\/john-durham-ignatius-column.html\">reported<\/a> that Durham was examining the origins of news articles published in early 2017\u2014including the felony leak to The Washington Post regarding retired Gen. Michael Flynn.<\/p>\n<p>And on May 14, 2020, a DOJ spokesperson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2020\/05\/14\/trump-robert-mueller-revenge-259318\">stated<\/a> that Durham was already looking into the \u201cissue of unmasking as part of this broader review.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The unmasking of Trump officials seemed to be aligned with the large number of stories in early 2017 that repeatedly came from anonymous sources within the intelligence community.<\/p>\n<p>It was at this point that divergent information began to suddenly appear.<\/p>\n<h2>Events Foreshadow Further Shifts in Durham\u2019s Investigation<\/h2>\n<p>On May 18, 2020, during a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/attorney-general-barr-obama-biden-trump-russia\/2020\/05\/18\/83b1be28-991d-11ea-ac72-3841fcc9b35f_story.html\">news conference<\/a>, Barr said that Durham\u2019s investigation wasn\u2019t focused on either Barack Obama or Joe Biden. \u201cBased on the information I have today, I don\u2019t expect Mr. Durham\u2019s work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man. Our concern over potential criminality is focused on others,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>On June 21, 2020, Barr <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/transcript\/exclusive-maria-bartiromo-interviews-ag-barr-on-police-reform-big-tech-censorship-durham-investigation\">told Fox News<\/a> that Durham\u2019s investigation was progressing rapidly and that he expected more developments \u201cbefore the end of the summer.\u201d Barr also noted that Durham\u2019s investigation was \u201cnot going to stop because of the election.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Barr then added, somewhat ominously, \u201cWhat happens after the election may depend on who wins the election.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/attorney-general-barr-obama-biden-trump-russia\/2020\/05\/18\/83b1be28-991d-11ea-ac72-3841fcc9b35f_story.html\">questioning<\/a> before the House Judiciary Committee, Barr refused to rule out a Durham report in advance of the 2020 presidential election\u2014but again noted that the investigation wasn\u2019t focused, nor was it expected to focus, on either Obama or Biden.<\/p>\n<p>On Aug. 19, 2020, a year-and-a-half into the Durham probe, FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ct\/pr\/fbi-attorney-admits-altering-email-used-fisa-application-during-crossfire-hurricane\">pleaded guilty<\/a> to a single count of making a false statement stemming from his role overseeing the Carter Page FISA process.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2019\/12\/12\/the-inspector-generals-report-on-2016-fb-i-spying-reveals-a-scandal-of-historic-magnitude-not-only-for-the-fbi-but-also-the-u-s-media\/\">Prior to joining<\/a> the Trump campaign, Page had been a source for the CIA, providing information on his business dealings in Russia. Had the FISA court known about Page\u2019s role as a CIA source, it would almost certainly not have issued a warrant.<\/p>\n<p>Clinesmith hid this fact from the FISA court, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/former-fbi-lawyer-expected-to-plead-guilty-to-altering-document-on-trump-aide-surveillance-11597423043\">altering an email<\/a> that stated that Page was a source for the CIA, to instead say that Page was specifically not a source. Doctoring evidence is a serious crime, even more so if done by an FBI lawyer during the application process for a FISA warrant.<\/p>\n<p>When Clinesmith\u2019s case came before a judge, he insisted that his statement wasn\u2019t false, telling the judge that he had altered the email to make it <a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/clinesmith-guilty-plea-using-digraph-103057114.html\">more accurate<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Clinesmith not only altered the email about Page\u2019s status, but also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/472841834\/Russian-Based-Misdirection-April-27-J-2020\">falsely claimed<\/a> that Christopher Steele\u2019s source\u2014whose stories formed the foundation of the FISA warrant\u2014was based in Russia when he was actually based in Washington. It doesn\u2019t appear that Durham ever raised this issue with the court.<\/p>\n<p>The FISA court would almost certainly have refused to issue a warrant based on that information.<\/p>\n<p>Clinesmith was sentenced to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/kevin-clinesmith-fbi-john-durham\/2021\/01\/28\/b06e061c-618e-11eb-afbe-9a11a127d146_story.html\">probation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after the Clinesmith plea, on Aug. 21, 2020, Brennan was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/ex-cia-chief-brennan-told-by-durham-he-is-not-target-of-criminal-probe-spokesperson_3471304.html\">interviewed<\/a> by Durham for eight hours at CIA headquarters. Brennan himself had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/brennans-role-during-the-2016-elections-in-his-own-words_3320030.html\">previously stated<\/a> his CIA had provided the FBI with information that directly served to prompt the FBI to initiate its investigation.<\/p>\n<p>According to Brennan\u2019s spokesperson Nick Shapiro, Brennan was told during his interview that he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/brennan-interviewed-in-durham-probe-told-hes-not-a-target-in-russia-probe-review-aide-claims\">wasn\u2019t a target<\/a> of Durham\u2019s investigation.<\/p>\n<p>On Oct. 14, 2020, the New York Post <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/10\/14\/email-reveals-how-hunter-biden-introduced-ukrainian-biz-man-to-dad\/\">broke the news<\/a> that it had come into possession of Hunter Biden\u2019s laptop, which appeared to show Joe Biden\u2019s knowledge and potential involvement with his son Hunter\u2019s business dealings, directly contradicting public claims made by the presidential candidate.<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ also had a copy of the laptop\u2019s hard drive and had placed Hunter under formal investigation. Barr <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/barr-kept-biden-probes-from-public-to-avoid-election-politics-11607951984\">ordered<\/a> DOJ personnel to ensure that the existence of the investigation didn\u2019t become public.<\/p>\n<p>After the 2020 election, while Trump was mounting election challenges, Barr effectively put his thumb on the scale when he <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/election-2020-donald-trump-robert-mueller-statutes-elections-ae0275b4eb23981c1e6fbf9fc49c3239\">declared<\/a> on Dec. 1 in an interview with The Associated Press that he hadn\u2019t seen a level of fraud that would have altered the election\u2019s outcome.<\/p>\n<p>The sudden and significant shifts that appeared to be occuring at the DOJ were highlighted in December when Barr told The Wall Street Journal that the CIA had \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/william-barr-one-standard-of-justice-11608318832?reflink=desktopwebshare_twitter\">stayed in its lane<\/a>\u201d during the Russia\u2013Trump investigation, seemingly contradicting earlier reports.<\/p>\n<p>And a recent CNN article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/03\/30\/politics\/john-durham-investigation\/index.html\">suggested<\/a> that Durham had apparently found no wrongdoing by Obama-era intelligence officials who worked outside of the FBI.<\/p>\n<p>Durham appears to have come full circle. Having started with looking at the origins of the FBI\u2019s Russia\u2013Trump probe, his investigation broadened considerably, only to return and focus solely on FBI officials.<\/p>\n<p>Durham\u2019s investigation has always fallen under the jurisdiction of the DOJ. Biden\u2019s new appointees, which included many of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/the-ongoing-politicization-of-the-doj_3813379.html\">same people<\/a> who had promoted the Russia\u2013Trump collusion narrative, raises concerns of potential political interference.<\/p>\n<p>In one of his final acts as attorney general, Barr <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/election-2020-donald-trump-robert-mueller-statutes-elections-ae0275b4eb23981c1e6fbf9fc49c3239\">appointed<\/a> Durham as special counsel, a move ostensibly meant to insulate Durham from Biden\u2019s DOJ.<\/p>\n<p>It remains to be seen whether Durham\u2019s appointment as special counsel was sufficient.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Click on infographic to enlarge. News Analysis The investigation by special counsel John Durham into the origins of the FBI\u2019s Russia\u2013Trump investigation\u2014Crossfire Hurricane\u2014has now been active for more than &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2279920,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cdn.epoch.cloud\/assets\/static_assets\/EpochTimes_infographic_The_Durham%20Investigation.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Infographic: Timeline of the Durham Investigation","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-559687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cdn.epoch.cloud\/assets\/static_assets\/EpochTimes_infographic_The_Durham%20Investigation.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Infographic: Timeline of the Durham Investigation","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=559687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2279920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=559687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=559687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=559687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}