john durham 2021
He was born on March 16, 1950. Yet, far from alerting the FISC judges that there was significant reason to disbelieve the information from Steele about Trump who was by then the incumbent president the FBI continued to rely on that suspect information in sworn surveillance applications in April and June 2017, based on which the FISC granted additional spying warrants. He investigated this allegation for over two years before he closed the case. But it gets worse. He was initially a Deputy Assistant State Attorney serving in the Office of the Chief States Attorney in Connecticut. By April 2019, U.S. Attorney General William Barr had tasked Durham with overseeing a review of the origins of the Russia investigation and to determine if intelligence collection involving the Trump campaign was "lawful and appropriate". The information was significant because it was included in a series of reports prepared by British ex-spy Christopher Steele, who had been hired by an opposition research firm working for the Clinton campaign. Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who took over the FBIs Russia investigation, ultimately ran up a tab of just under $32 million over two years. [38], In 2004, Durham was decorated with the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service and, in 2012, with the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service. The Department of Justice would ordinarily never bring such a baseless case.". For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. John Henry Durham (born March 16, 1950)[3][4][5] is an American lawyer who served as the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut (D. Conn.) from 2018 to 2021. That alleged lie mattered, the indictment says, because it misled the FBI and deprived it of "information that might have permitted it more fully to assess and uncover the origins of the relevant data and technical analysis, including the identities and motivations of Sussmann's clients. TTY/ASCII/TDD: 800-877-8339. John Durham Special Counsel Contact Department of Justice Special Counsel's Office 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Room B-103 Washington, D.C. 20530 News Russian National Indicted for Making False Statements to the FBI, November 4, 2021 Some former intelligence community officials have said those sorts of judgments were better reviewed by inspectors general of the intelligence agencies and not by a federal prosecutor. It may also lead to increased scrutiny of actions for possible violations of election interference laws, as well as the seldom-used Logan Act, which makes it a criminal offense for U.S. citizens to influence foreign governments to defeat the measures of the United States.. It also details meetings that Sussmann had with a partner at his law firm who was general counsel to the Clinton campaign as well as a tech executive who was a client of Sussmann's and researchers about purported links between Trump Organization computer systems and a Russian bank. [11] From 1982 to 1989, he served as an attorney and then supervisor in the New Haven Field Office of the Boston Strike Force in the Justice Department's Organized Crime and Racketeering Section. Department of Justice via AP Wheres Durham? Trump wrote in a statement emailed to reporters last month. The development is a potential sign that Durham may be mulling additional . CNN After two years of searching for problems with the investigation into Donald Trump's campaign advisers in 2016 and their ties to Russia, federal prosecutor John Durham hasn't found. Tapes", "Gina Haspel's Testimony About C.I.A. [25] Durham's final report remains secret but was the subject of an unsuccessful lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act filed by The New York Times reporter Charlie Savage. Sussman was indicted on charges of providing false statements to the FBI, but, Sussmans name is back in the headlines again as a Durham court filing alleges that Sussman took manipulated traffic supposedly from Trump Tower and later the White House to the FBI inferring there was a connection between the Trump Organization and Russian government. At that time, he was both a supervisor as well as a lawyer at the New Haven Field Office. It is one of the great dirty tricks in modern political history: The 2016 Democratic presidential campaign colluded with the incumbent Democratic administrations law enforcement and intelligence apparatus to portray their partisan opposition, Donald Trump, as a Kremlin mole, then made the smear stick to the point of forcing Trump to govern for over two years under the cloud of a special-counsel investigation. The administrations effort to recover the Justice Departments integrity is not limited to the Hunter Biden case. John Durham News Current Page: 1 . [17] On October 19, 2020, Barr appointed Durham Special Counsel to lead the Durham special counsel investigation in an effort to ensure the investigation continued after the Trump administration ended. Durham was tapped in 2019 by then-Attorney General William Barr to look into the genesis of the FBI's investigation into connections between the Trump campaign and Russia. July 24, 2021 August 7, 2021 Brian Cates Trump Had To Step Aside So The American People Could Be . Phone: 202-514-2000 How rich is King Charles? ", "The Special Counsel appears to be using this indictment to advance a conspiracy theory he has chosen not to actually charge," they said in a statement. Durham also spent time prosecuting corrupt politicians. Less than a month after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report was released publicly in March 2019, Barr announced that he had assigned John Durhamthe U.S. Attorney for the District of . Any prosecution here would be baseless, unprecedented, and an unwarranted deviation from the apolitical and principled way in which the Department of Justice is supposed to do its work.. Washington, D.C. 20530, Russian National Indicted for Making False Statements to the FBI, November 4, 2021, Grand Jury Indicts D.C. Attorney with Making False Statements to the FBI in 2016 Regarding Alleged Communications Between Trump Organization and Russian Bank, September 16, 2021, U.S. Department of Justice Paul Bedard | March 06, 2023 11:26 AM. While Durham characteristically keeps a low profile and rarely speaks to the press, Americans anticipate his investigations further findings. There is no indication anything came of this, but upon being tipped off, the bureau did some digging and learned that Danchenko had been in contact with people it was investigating as possible Russian intelligence officers. [41] United States Attorney Deirdre Daly once described him as "tireless, fair and aggressive" while United States Senator Chris Murphy characterized him as "tough-nosed apolitical and serious".[41]. Now he works at Starbucks. Durham was asked to be the special prosecutor for another major corruption case this time involving the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes. [21] [20] Appointments as special investigator Whitey Bulger case To date, Garland has said little about the level of DOJs oversight into Durhams activities, other than to say they are following the Justice Departments rules regarding special counsels. [22][23][24] On November 8, 2010, Durham closed the investigation without recommending any criminal charges be filed. 10/12/2022 02:24 PM EDT. Durham would be responsible for the successful prosecution of John J. Connolly, Jr. (Connollys story with Bulger was immortalized on film in Black Mass). The firm's political law group represented Clinton's presidential campaign and has long provided counsel to the Democratic National Committee. John Durham is a native of Boston, MA. However, after the Biden administration took office, Attorney General Merrick Garland reserved the right to overrule Durhams major decisions. [14], From 2008 to 2012, Durham served as the acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. John Durham is 71 years old. It may, however, have the unintended consequence of backfiring on Trump by further eroding his support among moderates and independents who are unlikely to support Trumps continued bromance with Putin during worldwide condemnation of Russias invasion of Ukraine. [7][8] Barr disclosed in December 2020 that he had elevated Durham's status to special counsel in October 2020, ensuring that the Durham special counsel investigation could continue after the Trump administration ended. [6] He was one of 56 remaining Trump-appointed U.S. [12][13], In December 2000, Durham revealed secret Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) documents that convinced a judge to vacate the 1968 murder convictions of Enrico Tameleo, Joseph Salvati, Peter J. Limone and Louis Greco because they had been framed by the agency. Attorneys President Joe Biden asked to resign in February 2021. Michael Sussmann, who worked through his law firm as an attorney for the Hillary Clinton campaign, is accused of a single felony count in a grand jury indictment. Rather, it meant that there was a well-established shared concern that no appearance of or actual political interference was to take place. Durham, along with fifty-six others nominated to similar positions by President Trump, was a part of the shake-up at the request of Joe Biden. [20] He remains Special Counsel as of January 2023. In September, he alleged in an indictment that Michael Sussmann, a former federal prosecutor with expertise in computer cases, lied about the capacity in which he was providing the allegations to the FBI when he passed on information about possible digital connections between Russia-based Alfa Bank and a computer linked to the Trump Organization. John Durham report is coming, some people will go to prison Sara Carter Ranking member of the powerful House Intelligence Committee Rep. Devin Nunes told me on The Sara Carter Show podcast that he still expects Justice Department Special Counsel John Durham to release a damaging report on the FBI's debunked investigation into former President Donald Trump and Russia. Sussmann also tried to deliver similar material to another undisclosed agency in December 2016, after Trump had won the election. Ryan King | February 09 . From 1994 to 2008, he served as the Deputy U.S. Attorney, and served as the U.S. Attorney in an acting and interim capacity in 1997 and 1998. John Durham is said to have a net worth of $1.5 million as of 2022. From 1989 to 1994, he served as Chief of the Office's Criminal Division. Ironically, most of Durhams career has been spent in the United States government, whether he was a United States Attorney, a Chief of the Criminal Division (for a District Attorney office), a supervisor for a District Attorneys field office. Therefore, many details regarding his early life are unknown. Meadows referral creates new legal, political challenges for AG Garland. Durham presents new evidence on day 2 of Danchenko trial. In fact, reports from its investigation claim that in 2008, when he was working at the Brookings Institution (a center-left Washington think tank), Danchenko offered to pay two of his fellow researchers for classified information if they got jobs in the incoming Obama administration. Attorney General Merrick Garland is said to anticipate receiving his final report by the end of the year. Yet they kept him on board, kept paying him. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. A spokesperson for Garland did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his role in the case. According to court documents, Sussmann allegedly falsely denied representing the Democratic National Committee or any other client at the time when he reported suspicions about possible links between computers at Trump Tower and a Russian bank. | U.S. Department of Justice/AP Photo. Greg Kahn for The. He said after Sussmann dropped off the material, he quickly passed it to Bill Priestap, the head of the FBIs Counterintelligence Division at the time. Get a 17% Off In-Store Coupon When You Sign Up For Dunham's Email Rewards The collusion accusations were part of the basis for a number of FISA warrants which allowed government entities to gather intelligence on the Trump family and its organization. Sussmann, who worked through his firm as an attorney for the Hillary Clinton campaign, is accused in a grand jury indictment returned Thursday of a single felony count of making a false statement during a September 2016 meeting with FBI General Counsel James Baker. [6] He is known for his role as special prosecutor in the 2005 destruction of interrogation tapes created by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), during which he decided not to file any criminal charges related to the destruction of tapes of torture at a CIA facility.[3]. Last year, Durham indicted him on five counts of lying to the FBI. Unlike the Jan. 6 Capitol attack cases and potential investigations into members of Congress and Trump advisers that could emerge, the Hunter Biden matter is not one that involves seditious conspiracy against the U.S., an attempt to overturn a presidential election or any other issue of national significance. In November the special counsel indicted Igor Danchenko, a Washington-based Russian migr who was an important source for the contentious Steele dossier that served an important role in the initial phases of the FBI inquiry Durham is now investigating. Some fear his work for Barr could tarnish it. Updated 10/12/2022 09:11 PM EDT. [14], In 2008, Durham was appointed by Attorney General Michael Mukasey to investigate the destruction of CIA videotapes of detainee interrogations. [21][20], Amid allegations that FBI informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi had corrupted their handlers, US Attorney General Janet Reno named Durham special prosecutor in 1999. The case against Sussmann was assigned on Thursday to Judge Christopher Cooper, an appointee of President Barack Obama. John Durham Probe Charges Washington Lawyer With Lying To FBI A cybersecurity lawyer who worked at a law firm tied to the Democratic Party is the second person charged in John . The bottom two pillars of the Durham triangle, I believe, are the FBI's -- John Durham's indictment of the FBI attorney, which is literally an indictment of the FBI, and now a criminal. [14] In 2002, Durham helped secure the conviction of retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., who was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal racketeering charges for protecting Bulger and Flemmi from prosecution and warning Bulger to flee just before the gangster's 1995 indictment. The precise scope of Durhams mandate has never been clear. An underboss was the aforementioned Enrico Tameleo, whom was also wrongfully convicted (and Durham had his sentence overturned). The prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden's taxes will also remain. And under questioning from Democratic staff, Baker added that he wouldnt have viewed the information differently had he been aware of Sussmanns link to the campaign. JOHN IRWIN OBITUARY. I signed one of those letters. A criminal investigation into the deaths of two detainees, Gul Rahman in Afghanistan and Manadel al-Jamadi in Iraq, was opened in 2011. Durham would not recommend any criminal charges be filed. ", Sussmann's attorneys, Sean Berkowitz and Michael Bosworth, said their client will "fight this baseless and politically-inspired prosecution. A locked padlock [14] Durham's task force also gathered evidence against retired FBI agent H. Paul Rico, who was indicted in Oklahoma on state charges that he helped Bulger and Flemmi kill a Tulsa businessman in 1981. [12], On November 1, 2017, he was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as U.S. Attorney for Connecticut. Copyright 2010-2021 This Nation. [27] Durham's mandate was to look at only those interrogations that had gone "beyond the officially sanctioned guidelines", with Holder saying interrogators who had acted in "good faith" based on the guidance found in the Torture Memos issued by the Bush Justice Department were not to be prosecuted. Since late 2021, two major indictments have been handed down one for a Russian operative who is said to be the source of the Steele Dossier and Attorney Michael Sussman. In both trials, Durham alleged the defendants had deceived the FBI, rather than alleging the FBI acted improperly toward Trump. However, little else is known about Durhams personal wealth. WASHINGTON (AP) John Durham, the federal prosecutor tapped to investigate the origins of the Russia investigation, has been presenting evidence before a grand jury as part of his probe, a person familiar with the matter said Friday. Some close to the investigation have said Durham appeared not simply to be seeking out potential crimes, but conducting a broader review of the quality of the intelligence that led the FBI to begin investigating people tied to the Trump campaign. John Allen Irwin was born November 6, 1933, in Chicago Illinois and died peacefully June 16, 2021 at the age of 87 surrounded by family. Could Durham run into the same problem in prosecuting Danchenko? Durham is investigating the department's . That move effectively took Durham out of the normal Justice Department hierarchy and supervision, although after the Biden administration assumed office, Attorney General Merrick Garland retained the right to overrule any of Durhams major decisions, such as the effort to seek an indictment of Sussmann. Statement of Expenditures, April 1, 2022 - September 30, 2022, Statement of Expenditures, October 1, 2021 - March 31, 2022, Statement of Expenditures, April 1, 2021 - September 30, 2021, Statement of Expenditures, October 19, 2020 - March 31, 2021, Department of Justice The latest report includes some expenses from that prior time frame, which came in higher than had been estimated. [30][31], Beginning in 2017, Trump and his allies alleged that the FBI investigation (known as Crossfire Hurricane) of possible contacts between his associates and Russian officials (which led to the Mueller investigation) was a "hoax" or "witch hunt" that was baselessly initiated by his political enemies. From 1977 to 1978, he served as a Deputy Assistant State's Attorney in the Office of the Chief State's Attorney. Durham is, according to CNN, very press-shy, and he is very private. Attorney. In separate congressional testimony, Baker told lawmakers that Sussmann told him "that he had cyber experts that had obtained some information that they thought they should get into the hands of the FBI.". Often, Renos first question to me about any case I was reporting to her about was likely to be what Margolis thought about how it was progressing. seeks resignations of Trump-era US attorneys", "What Is a Special Counsel and What Can They Do? Does everybody remember when we caught the Democrats, red-handed, SPYING ON MY CAMPAIGN? Durham alleged at the two trials that the FBI had been deceived by the defendants but did not allege the FBI had acted improperly. Durham has been praised for his tenacity and professionalism throughout this particular investigation, with few, if any, leaks of information to the media. President Joe Biden and his administration are putting on a masters class in ethics in the federal investigation into the business dealings of the presidents son Hunter Biden. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS I dont want to say anything beyond what is in the regulations, but we are following the regulations.. Whether or not Hunter Biden, who has denied any wrongdoing, is ultimately charged, Trumps latest insertion of himself into the investigation is unlikely to have any effect on the matter. Lock [20] The U.S. Justice Department's first official expenditure report for the special investigation showed that it had spent $1.5 million from Oct 19, 2020, to March 31, 2021; Durham was not required to report expenditures made before being designated special counsel. Typically, a new president will appoint mostly new U.S. attorneys, with the old appointees tendering resignations. Sussmann has pleaded not guilty, and his legal team has called the allegations against him baseless noting that Durham seems to be building a case around a single statement allegedly made five years ago to a single witness that is unrecorded and unobserved by anyone else.. The special prosecutor probing the origins of the federal investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, John Durham, has charged Washington lawyer Michael Sussmann with lying to the FBI during the early stages of the inquiry. Danchenko has pleaded not guilty; an attorney representing him when he was charged has asserted Danchenkos work as a researcher is above reproach and that people with an agenda were seeking to tarnish his reputation. Of course, that did not mean that people were not aware of which cases were politically sensitive. NEWS UPDATE. John H. Durham will remain as special counsel even as the Biden administration requests a mass resignation of U.S. attorneys. [9][10] After 3.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}12 years of investigation and prosecutions, Durham had secured one guilty plea and a probation sentence for a charge unrelated to the origins of the Russia investigation, and two unsuccessful trial prosecutions. was arrested Thursday in Northern Virginia onan indictment that special counsel John Durham obtained charging the Russian-born researcher with five felony counts of . An official website of the United States government. [3][11] After graduation, he was a VISTA volunteer for two years (19751977) on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. An accounting released earlier this year showed Durham's investigation cost U.S. taxpayers about $1.45 million from mid-October 2020 through March 2021. His exact work in this capacity is unknown. In November, Durham alleged in an indictment that Igor Danchenko, an analyst who was a key source for a 2016 dossier of allegations about Trump, had lied to the FBI about where and how he got information. Rico died in 2004 before the case went to trial. By 1994, Durham had become a Deputy United States Attorney General. Did the FBI end up finding out that Danchenko was not really a Russian asset? It led to unprecedented letters signed by former department officials calling for the resignation of former Attorney General William Barr. It is likely he was paid well for these special assignments. He blew the whistle on Trumps Truth Social. Durham has been rather quiet but professional regarding his current case. Shortly after the indictment was announced, the law firm where he was a partner, Perkins Coie, said it had accepted Sussmanns resignation. Special counsel John Durhams inquiry into the origins of the investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump presidential campaign spent close to $3.8 million over its first year of operations. Unfortunately, two of the men had died in prison during this time. According to the indictment, Sussmann provided Baker with two thumb drives and hard copies of the materials, including a document Sussmann had helped write, one written by a researcher and another written by the political research firm working for the Clinton campaign to dig up opposition research about Trump. Special counsel to review origins of Trump-Russia investigation, Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections, the 2005 destruction of interrogation tapes, Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (2019), Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (20202021), "John Durham Named Interim U.S. Attorney; Presidential Nomination Expected", "Prosecutor Who Unraveled Corruption in Boston Turns to C.I.A. Republicans have grown impatient with the probe, while still hoping for a report that will vindicate former President Donald Trumps charge that the original inquiry was a thinly veiled and unfounded political attack. A source familiar with Durhams probe say that the attorney handles the investigation very professionally, pointing to the fact that,, President Trump compared the case to Watergate, saying the allegations against Hillary Clintons campaign and various individuals, including a lawyer, Within the last two months, John Durhams investigation into the Steele dossier, the FISA warrants issued as a result of, Information on Hunter Bidens wealth varies. At times, he would serve as an interim United States Attorney General. Associated Press; Getty Images Special counsel John Durham filed a new indictment in his investigation into the FBI's Russia probe.. On October 19, 2020, John Durham was appointed by Attorney General William Barr to serve as the Special Counsel by the order below. Durham would later enroll in the University of Connecticut Law School, where he earned a Juris Doctor degree. Special Prosecutor John Durham has charged Washington lawyer Michael Sussmann with lying to the FBI. While the bureau used inane, unverified information from Steele and Danchenko to suggest to a court that the president of the United States might be a Russian asset, the FBI had intelligence indicating that Danchenko himself might actually have been a Russian asset. Between 2008 and 2012, Durham took his legal expertise to Virginia, where he served as a United States Attorney in the Eastern district. Posted at 10:41 AM, Sep 27, 2021 . I mean, so I was uncomfortable with being in the position of having too much factual information conveyed to me, because Im not an agent, Baker said. Special Counsels Office He was sworn in on February 22, 2018. He has been appointed a special investigator by the federal government as well. By KELLY HOOPER and JOSH GERSTEIN. That was detailed in yet another Durham court filing last week, in the Virginia federal court where Danchenko is soon scheduled to be tried. The Patriarca family, who chiefly made up the New England Mafia, had territory in Eastern Connecticut, where Durham was prosecutor. Bill Hennessy CNN Special counsel John Durham gave a glimpse on Wednesday of his extensive use of a federal grand jury to. Several years later, however, Durham always appears quiet, professional, and definitely apolitical. U.S. Attorney John Durham, center, outside federal court in New Haven, Connecticut in February 2021 Sussmann's allies believed they found some potentially alarming links from Trump to Russia,. The deaths of two different Gitmo detainees were investigated, but, when the investigation was complete, no charges were filed. Some sources have his net worth at approximately $1 million, while others peg his. Thanks for contacting us. [28] Later in 2009, University of Toledo law professor Benjamin G. Davis attended a conference where former officials of the Bush administration had told conference participants shocking stories, and accounts of illegality on the part of more senior Bush officials. Durham loses again in court, but trial airs FBI flaws, Jury gets Danchenko case in what may be Durham's swan song, Judge dismisses 1 of 5 counts against Trump dossier source, Durham presents new evidence on day 2 of Danchenko trial, Sussmann acquitted on charge brought by special counsel Durham, Jury sees conflicting evidence on Michael Sussmann's role at FBI Trump-Russia meeting, Jurors hear contrasting stories about FBI handling of Trump-Russia secret server claims, Clinton 2016 campaign manager denies approving passing anti-Trump info to FBI. The charge against Sussmann from a Washington grand jury is the first outward sign of activity in Durhams investigation in nearly nine months. Room B-103 Could be. More than $670,000 went toward personnel costs, more than $280,000 went toward travel and more than $797,000 went toward IT and litigative support, according to the report. Clinesmiths alterations, Durham charged, obscured Pages prior relationship with the CIA. And Durham is gearing up for his last trial: the prosecution of Igor Danchenko, the principal source for the discredited Steele dossier. During the Barack Obama Administration, Durham was appointed by Eric Holder to investigate accusations of torture detainees at Gitmo in order to gather intelligence. When the bureau finally got around to questioning Danchenko because it hadnt been able to corroborate Steeles claims despite relying on them in court it learned that Steele appeared to have exaggerated and possibly fabricated rumors and innuendo about Trump that Danchenko was said to have passed along. Durhams quiet demeanor lends little public knowledge of his personal life. The mysterious computer communications became the subject of several news articles in the fall of 2016. Durham had spent five years as a state prosecutor before he went to work for the United States Attorney Generals office (District of Connecticut). Durhams time prosecuting mafia-related crimes would come in handy when, in 1999, then-Attorney General Janet Reno chose John Durham to investigate whether James Whitey Bulger and Stephen Flemmi, both gangsters turned FBI informants, had been able to corrupt their FBI handlers.