Despite the recent legal setback to special counsel John Durham‘s sprawling review of the FBI’s Russia investigation, former Attorney General William Barr contended Durham has been serving the public interest.
Barr, who tapped Durham for the inquiry, argued that the special counsel has uncovered corruption in the FBI’s Russia investigation and has laid the groundwork for Republicans to pursue the matter further should they retake control of Congress.
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“The real public interest here was being served by exposing the full extent of the corruption that was involved in Russiagate and the abuse by the FBI in that whole episode. And I think Durham is going to get a report out that will lay out all the facts,” Barr told Fox News’s America’s Newsroom.
On Tuesday, Durham suffered a considerable blow in court after a jury deemed Russian national Igor Danchenko not guilty of charges Durham pursued against him for making false statements to the FBI about the sourcing for the discredited dossier on former President Donald Trump.
“I was disappointed, obviously. I think they did a good job prosecuting the case,” Barr said of the trial. “Their ability to put evidence on in a very difficult case was limited by some rulings. They weren’t able to get access to some witnesses overseas. It was a tough case.”
Republicans have hinted that they plan to intensify scrutiny over the FBI if they retake control of Congress and gain power over its investigative committees. It is not clear whether Durham plans on issuing any additional charges, but he is expected to release a report on his findings.
“I think it will leave a very good foundation for pursuing it further on the Hill,” Barr added of the report.
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Durham’s investigation began over three years ago. Republicans such as Barr have argued his inquiry was needed to investigate whether Trump was unfairly targeted by the bureau to undermine his political career. Detractors have argued his work is aimed at undercutting Robert Mueller’s investigation.
So far, Durham has managed to secure one conviction. The other case he brought forward, which was against lawyer Michael Sussmann, ended in acquittal. After completing a report laying out his findings, Durham will turn it over to the attorney general.
