JOHN DURHAM

Barr suggested the Durham probe, which has obtained only one conviction in three-plus years, has still been successful in telling a story — apparently irrespective of whether that story is connected to a proven crime.

Fox NewsMoments after Special Counsel John Durham was handed a major setback on Tuesday when a federal jury found Clinton-linked lawyer Michael Sussmann not guilty, multiple Fox News personalities accused the D.C.-based jurors of not giving prosecutors a “fair shake” due to political bias.Sussmann was indicted in September 20221 on a single count of “willfully and knowingly” lying to a federal agent. The case centered on a 2016 meeting Sussmann had with the FBI over allegations that there was se

Michael Sussmann, a former attorney for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, was found not guilty of allegations that he lied to the FBI. The charges were brought by special counsel John Durham in an investigation that started during the Trump administration. CBS News legal contributor Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor, discussed the breaking news.

Michael Sussmann was accused of lying to investigators during meeting about now-debunked information linking the Trump Organization and Russia's Alfa Bank.

The jury acquitted Michael Sussmann, 57, on a charge that he lied when he allegedly denied he was acting on behalf of any client in alerting the FBI to claims that a secret server linked Trump and a Moscow bank.

A lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign has been acquitted of lying to the FBI when he pushed information meant to cast suspicions on Donald Trump and Russia in the run-up to the 2016 election.

A lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign was acquitted Tuesday of lying to the FBI when he pushed information meant to cast suspicions on Donald Trump and Russia in the run-up to the 2016 election. The case against Michael Sussmann was the first courtroom test of special counsel John Durham since his appointment three years ago to search for government misconduct during the investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign. The verdict represents a setback for Durham’s work, especially since Trump supporters had looked to the probe to expose what they contend was egregious bias by law enforcement officials who investigated the former president.

A jury cleared Michael Sussmann, a lawyer for Democrats, of lying to the FBI at the height of the 2016 campaign -- a defeat for Special Counsel John Durham.

Jury deliberations have begun in the Washington trial of a lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign who's charged with lying to the FBI early in the Trump-Russia probe.

The star prosecution witness in the trial of a Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer charged with lying to the FBI says he was “100%” confident that the attorney told him he was not acting on behalf of a particular client when he presented information meant to cast suspicions on Donald Trump and possible connections to Russia.

"I’m not out to get Michael," former FBI official James Baker testifies about the lawyer accused of lying in 2016.

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign did not authorize a lawyer to meet with the FBI and provide information that was meant to cast suspicions on rival candidate Donald Trump and possible connections to Russia.

Michael Sussmann is charged by special counsel John Durham with one count of lying to the FBI. His defense calls the accusations "nonsensical."

A prosecutor says a lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign who is charged with lying to the FBI early in the Trump-Russia probe sought to “use and manipulate” federal law enforcement to create an “October surprise” in the final weeks of the presidential race.

A jury has been picked for the trial of Michael Sussmann, a lawyer accused of lying to the FBI during the 2016 presidential campaign.

John Durham's probe led to a single false statements count against Michael Sussmann for allegedly lying to the FBI about possible ties between a Russian-bank and Donald Trump's company.

Trump Russia Probe FILE - Attorney Michael Sussmann leaves federal court in Washington, April 27, 2022. A federal trial begins May 16 for Sussmann, lawyer for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, who is accused of lying to the FBI as it investigated potential ties between Donald Trump and Russia in 2016. An investigation by an earlier special counsel, Robert Mueller, did not find a criminal conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign though it did find that Russia sought to aid Trump's election bid. In 2020, a former FBI lawyer named Kevin Clinesmith pleaded guilty to altering an email related to secret FBI surveillance of an ex-Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page. Last year, Durham charged a Russia analyst who was a source for that dossier with lying to the FBI about his own sources of information — among them, a longtime Hillary Clinton supporter.

A jury has been picked in the trial of a lawyer for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign who is accused of lying to the FBI as it investigated potential ties between Donald Trump and Russia in 2016.

A federal trial begins Monday for a lawyer for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign who is accused of lying to the FBI as it investigated potential ties between Donald Trump and Russia in 2016. The case against Michael Sussmann, a cybersecurity attorney who represented the Clinton campaign in 2016, is the first trial arising from the ongoing investigation by special counsel John Durham and will test the strength of evidence he and his team have gathered while scrutinizing the early days of the Trump-Russia probe for potential misconduct. An acquittal is likely to hasten questions about the Durham probe’s purpose and cost to taxpayers while a guilty verdict will almost certainly energize Trump supporters who have long looked to Durham to expose what they see as biased mistreatment of the former president.

Trump Russia Probe Explainer FILE - Attorney Michael Sussmann leaves federal court in Washington, April 27, 2022. The verdict in the case of lawyer Michael Sussmann will help shape the fate and legacy of Durham's three-year probe. Jurors will not be asked to decide whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin to tip the outcome of the race. The claim was false, Durham says, but that's not the lie at the center of the Sussmann case. ___WHY WOULD THAT MATTER AND WHAT DOES SUSSMANN SAY IN HIS DEFENSE?

The first trial resulting from special counsel John Durham’s investigation of the early days of the Trump-Russia probe hardly seems an explosive affair.

The first trial resulting from Special Counsel John Durham’s probe will explore claims and counter-claims of Russian interference in the Trump-Clinton race.

Special Counsel John Durham asserted in a court filing Friday that the CIA concluded data from Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann alleging coordination between Donald Trump and Russia was "not technically plausible" and was "user created."

The judge rejected Michael Sussmann's motion to dismiss the case.

Trump Russia Probe FILE - This 2018 portrait released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Connecticut's U.S. Attorney John Durham. A judge says the criminal prosecution of Michael Sussmann, a Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer charged with lying to the FBI during the Trump-Russia investigation can move forward. The ruling means Sussmann, who was charged last year by special counsel John Durham, remains set for trial on May 16, 2022, in Washington's federal court. The ruling means Michael Sussmann, charged last year by special counsel John Durham, remains set for trial on May 16 in Washington's federal court. Sussmann's lawyers have argued that his ties to the Clinton campaign were already well-known to the FBI and have rejected the idea that that relationship could have meaningfully influenced the FBI's decision to investigate.

A judge says the criminal prosecution of a Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer charged with lying to the FBI during the Trump-Russia investigation can move forward.

A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that Special Counsel John Durham can proceed with his office’s prosecution against a lawyer with ties to the Democrats for making a false statement to the FBI in 2016. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper denied a motion from Michael Sussmann to dismiss the single charge against him, which stems…

Sussmann's attorneys said in a Monday night filing that the Steele dossier is irrelevant to the case against their client. Even so, despite the attention paid to the dossier, it was not what triggered the Trump-Russia probe. Arguments about the relevance of the Steele dossier were included in a series of motions filed by both sides Monday night. A separate point of dispute concerns contemporaneous notes taken by two FBI officials with whom Baker spoke after his meeting with Sussmann. Durham's team is asking the judge to let them use the notes at trial, saying they will bolster Baker's testimony.

A lawyer for the Hillary Clinton campaign charged with lying to the FBI during the Trump-Russia investigation is asking a judge to bar from his upcoming trial any evidence or testimony related to the so-called “Steele dossier.”.

A lawyer for the Hillary Clinton campaign charged with lying to the FBI during the Trump-Russia investigation is asking a judge to bar from his upcoming trial any evidence or testimony related to a dossier of uncorroborated allegations compiled by an-ex British spy. Attorneys for Michael Sussmann said prosecutors on special counsel John Durham’s team told them last month that they plan to introduce testimony related to the so-called “Steele dossier," a collection of Democratic-funded research assembled by former British operative Christopher Steele purporting to link Donald Trump to Russia.

Trump Russia Probe FILE - This 2018 portrait released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Connecticut's U.S. Attorney John Durham. The comments from U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper were in response to a legal filing last month from prosecutors for special counsel John Durham. The motion was filed in the case against Michael Sussmann, a cybersecurity lawyer who represented the Clinton campaign during the 2016 presidential election. Sussmann was charged by Durham with making a false statement to the FBI during a meeting in September of that year. Durham was appointed to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, and Sussmann is one of three people his team has so far charged.

A judge handling the case of a lawyer charged with lying to the FBI during its probe into 2016 Russian election interference is reminding attorneys that their legal filings are under a “microscope.”.

Commentators for Fox News and other outlets accused Biden of fearmongering about an invasion of Ukraine. Some have changed their tune since last night.

An attorney charged in the investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe had accused Durham of trying to politicize the case and gin up negative press coverage.

First, crack pipes. Now, supposed spying on Trump's White House.

Trump Russia Probe FILE - This 2018 portrait released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Connecticut's U.S. Attorney John Durham. Michael Sussmann, a lawyer for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign who was charged by special counsel Durham with lying to the FBI during a 2016 meeting has asked a judge to dismiss the indictment, calling it a case of "extraordinary prosecutorial overreach."(U.S. Sussmann is accused of lying to the FBI's then-general counsel during a September 2016 meeting in which he relayed concerns from cybersecurity researchers about potentially suspicious internet data involving a Russia-based bank and the Trump Organization. The White House data that was analyzed was from the time that Barack Obama, not Trump, was president. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

A lawyer for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign who was charged by special counsel John Durham with lying to the FBI during a 2016 meeting has asked a judge to dismiss the indictment, calling it a case of “extraordinary prosecutorial overreach.”.

After a warm day full of snow melting, Chicago crews worry that more heavy rain, followed by a drop in temperature, could lead to serious ice problems.

These sagas are powerful tools for motivating a base or keeping it frothed up, but they don’t usually work well as tools of persuasion.

An attorney charged as part of the investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe says Durham tried to "politicize the case, inflame media coverage, and taint the jury pool."

A Russian bank again sits at the center of unsubstantiated claims — but now from the other end of the political spectrum.

Donald Trump reacted to a court filing by prosecutor John Durham alleging Clinton operatives tried to "infiltrate" Trump Tower, White House servers.

Lawyers for the Clinton campaign paid a technology company to "infiltrate" servers belonging to Trump Tower, and later the White House, in order to create fake information to bring to government agencies linking Donald Trump to Russia, a filing from Special Counsel John Durham says.

President Joe Biden has nominated six lawyers to run U.S. attorney’s offices across the country.

Igor Danchenko was taken into custody Thursday as part of special counsel John Durham's investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.

Durham was been investigating the origins of the FBI's probe of former President Donald Trump's alleged links to Russia.

Trump Russia Probe FILE - This 2018 portrait released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Connecticut's U.S. Attorney John Durham. A Russian analyst who helped provide information for a dossier of research used during the Trump-Russia investigation has been arrested as part of an ongoing special counsel investigation, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP, File) (Uncredited)WASHINGTON — (AP) — A Russia analyst who provided information for a dossier of research used during the Trump-Russia investigation has been arrested by U.S. authorities as part of an ongoing special counsel investigation, the Justice Department said Thursday. Democrats saw the Durham probe as politically motivated, but the Biden administration has not stopped it. Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle confirmed Danchenko's arrest, first reported by The New York Times.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — A Russian analyst who helped provide information for a dossier of research used during the Trump-Russia investigation has been arrested as part of an ongoing special counsel investigation, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday. It was not immediately clear what charges Danchenko might face. The New York Times first reported the arrest. A spokesman for the Justice Department did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment, and a lawyer for Danchenko had no immediate comment. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

A Russian analyst who provided information for a dossier of research used during the Trump-Russia investigation has been charged with lying to the FBI when questioned about his work.

A Russia analyst who provided information for a dossier of research used during the Trump-Russia investigation has been arrested by U.S. authorities as part of an ongoing special counsel investigation, the Justice Department said Thursday. Igor Danchenko is the third person, and second in a two-month span, to face charges in special counsel John Durham's probe into the origins of the Russia investigation. Danchenko functioned as a source for Christopher Steele, a former British spy who was paid by Democrats to examine ties between Russia and Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The primary researcher behind the Steele Dossier was arrested by federal authorities Thursday.

Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said a raft of documents he provided to special counsel John Durham supports additional charges in his criminal inquiry into the Russia investigation.

Trump Russia Probe FILE - This 2018 portrait released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Connecticut's U.S. Attorney John Durham. Tasked with examining the U.S. government's investigation into Russian election interference, special counsel John Durham charged a prominent cybersecurity lawyer on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, with making a false statement to the FBI. The case against the attorney, Michael Sussmann of the Perkins Coie law firm, is just the second prosecution brought by special counsel John Durham in two-and-a-half years of work. Barr appointed him a special counsel last year as a way to help ensure that he could complete his work without being fired in a new administration. The case against Sussmann is only the second criminal prosecution Durham has brought in two and a half years of work.

Attorneys for a cybersecurity lawyer charged last month in a special counsel’s probe into the Trump-Russia investigation have asked federal prosecutors to provide more information about the indictment.

A federal judge heard arguments on Texas' restrictive abortion law. CBS News legal contributor Jessica Levinson joined CBSN's Tanya Rivero with more on this.

Attorney General William Barr braced himself in the face of unprecedented fury displayed by President Donald Trump when he was told special counsel John Durham would likely not finish the criminal inquiry into the Russia investigation until sometime during the incoming Biden administration, according to a new book.

A former top House Intelligence Committee investigator instrumental in revealing secrets behind the "Russiagate" controversy said the latest grand jury indictment in special counsel John Durham's inquiry offers a good view into a broader charge that may follow.

The cybersecurity lawyer indicted this week by a grand jury in special counsel John Durham's investigation could end up being the "fall guy" for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, warned a top House Republican.

Trump Russia Probe FILE - This 2018 portrait released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Connecticut's U.S. Attorney John Durham. He is just the second person to be prosecuted by special counsel John Durham in two-and-a-half years of work. The Alfa Bank matter was not a pivotal element of the Russia probe and was not even mentioned in Mueller’s 448-page report in 2019. Still, the indictment may give fodder to Russia investigation critics who regard it as politically tainted and engineered by Democrats. The Durham investigation has already been ongoing months longer than Mueller's probe.

A prominent cybersecurity lawyer charged with making a false statement to the FBI has pleaded not guilty to the charge, stemming from an examination of the U.S. government’s investigation into Russian election interference.

The indictment of Michael Sussmann relates to a tip he gave the FBI in 2016, when Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton competed for the White House.

Trump Russia Probe FILE - This 2018 portrait released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Connecticut's U.S. Attorney John Durham. Tasked with examining the U.S. government's investigation into Russian election interference, special counsel John Durham charged a prominent cybersecurity lawyer on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, with making a false statement to the FBI. Still, the indictment may give fodder to Russia investigation critics who regard it as politically tainted and engineered by Democrats. The Durham investigation has already spanned months longer than the earlier special counsel probe into Russian election interference conducted by Mueller, the former FBI director, and his team. A two-year investigation by Mueller established that the Trump campaign was eager to receive and benefit from Kremlin aid, and documented multiple interactions between Russians and Trump associates.

A prominent cybersecurity lawyer has been charged in the special counsel’s probe of the U.S. government’s investigation into Russian election interference.

Special counsel John Durham is reportedly considering criminal prosecutions of FBI agents and others as he investigates information provided to the FBI in 2016 that spurred on the Trump-Russia investigation, with the federal prosecutor reportedly scrutinizing whether the tipsters knew their claims were false.

Durham's investigation is in addition to a separate inquiry by the Justice Department's inspector general.

Durham's investigation is in addition to a separate inquiry by the Justice Department's inspector general.

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.

FILE - This 2018 portrait released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Connecticut's U.S. Attorney John Durham. But Durham, who was appointed in October by then-Attorney General William Barr as a special counsel to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, will remain in that capacity. That probe was inherited nearly a year later by special counsel Mueller, who ultimately did not find enough evidence to charge Trump or any of his associates with conspiring with Russia. A Justice Department inspector general report backed up that criticism but did not find evidence that mistakes in the surveillance applications and other problems with the probe were driven by partisan bias. A senior Justice Department official told the AP earlier this month that David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware, overseeing the federal tax probe involving Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, will remain in place.

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department will ask U.S. attorneys who were appointed by former President Donald Trump to resign from their posts, as the Biden administration moves to transition to its own nominees, a senior Justice Department official said Monday. But the U.S. attorney overseeing the federal tax probe involving Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, will remain in place. The Justice Department has been investigating the finances of Hunter Biden, including scrutinizing some of his Chinese business dealings and other transactions. Hunter Biden confirmed the existence of the investigation in December after a round of subpoenas was issued in the case. CNN first reported that the Justice Department was seeking the resignations.

WASHINGTON – Alabama Sen. Doug Jones and federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland are emerging as the leading contenders to be nominated as President-elect Joe Biden’s attorney general, three people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Biden's thinking was described by people with knowledge of the presidential transition's internal thinking who were not authorized to speak publicly. Jones, who is white, has had a long-standing personal relationship with Biden dating back to Biden’s first presidential campaign in 1988. Jones would not comment Tuesday on the possibility of a nomination as attorney general. The Biden team has also been considering a number of other potential candidates for the post, including former Justice Department official Lisa Monaco.

Kevin Clinesmith admitted in August 2020 to having altered an email used in support of an FBI application to monitor the communications of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. Kevin Clinesmith admitted in August to having altered an email that was being used in support of an FBI application to monitor the communications of a former Trump campaign aide, Carter Page. Clinesmith's lawyers said that although he believed the information he wrote was accurate, he knowingly doctored the email by stating that Page was “not a source” for the CIA. “By altering a colleague’s email, he cut a corner in a job that required far better of him. He failed to live up to the FBI’s and his own high standards of conduct,” his lawyers wrote.

WASHINGTON – Outgoing Attorney General William Barr's decision to appoint a special counsel to investigate the handling of the Russia probe ensures his successor won't have an easy transition. But the maneuvering over the special counsel is especially significant because it saddles Democrats with an investigation that they've derided as tainted. A special counsel can only be dismissed for cause. The Biden transition did not respond to a request for comment on the special counsel appointment. But Barr's decision could influence whom the president-elect puts forth as a nominee for attorney general.

Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday, Dec. 1, that the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud and has seen nothing that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)WASHINGTON – Disputing President Donald Trump’s persistent, baseless claims, Attorney General William Barr declared the U.S. Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election. Under federal regulations, a special counsel can be fired only by the attorney general and for specific reasons such as misconduct, dereliction of duty or conflict of interest. An attorney general must document such reasons in writing. Trump himself continues to rail against the election in tweets and in interviews though his own administration has said the 2020 election was the most secure ever.

Barr told The Associated Press on Dec. 1, 2020, that he appointed Durham as a special counsel in October under the same federal statute that governed special counsel Robert Muellers in the Russia probe. Barr told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he had appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham as a special counsel in October under the same federal regulations that governed special counsel Robert Mueller in the original Russia probe. Under the regulations, a special counsel can be fired only by the attorney general and for specific reasons such as misconduct, dereliction of duty or conflict of interest. The special counsel rules say the appointed person should be outside of government, but Barr pointed to specific provisions in his memo that would allow him to go around that rule. Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham said it was “obvious the system failed” and he concurred with the appointment of a special counsel to continue the investigation.

FILE - In this March 23, 2020, file photo President Donald Trump moves from the podium to allow Attorney General William Barr to speak about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room in Washington. The relationship between President Donald Trump and top ally Attorney General William Barr is fraying over the lack of splashy indictments so far in the Justice Departments investigation into the origins of the Russia probe, according to people familiar with the matter. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

With just two weeks to go before Election Day, Trump for the first time explicitly called on Barr to investigate the Bidens and even pointed to the nearing Nov. 3 election as reason that Barr should not delay taking action. The Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment on the president’s call for an investigation. He has also expressed increasing anger over the resistance of the Justice Department to some of his appeals. As the election nears, Barr has kept a lower profile, limiting his time in front of the cameras to avoid facing direct questions from the media about Trump’s demands for greater Justice Department involvement in the election. While Barr has kept a lower profile in recent week, he has publicly sided with Trump on election matters.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump stood before a crowd in a state that had once been firmly in his grasp. That moment Wednesday in Iowa, a state Trump won comfortably four years ago but is now seen as competitive, underscored a fundamental challenge facing his reelection campaign: It’s not 2016. The president’s attempts to recycle attacks he used on Hillary Clinton that year have so far failed to effectively damage Democrat Joe Biden. “The president’s message is clear: he has accomplished more for America in 47 months than Joe Biden has in 47 years,” said Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh. “This boils down to a choice between a political outsider who has shaken up Washington and a failed career politician.”The Trump campaign believes it has a viable, if narrow path to victory.

Yet in the 2020 campaign, Democrats are largely ignoring the Russia probe. While some of the revelations from the steady drip of newly declassified documents are serious, they do not undercut the reasons the Russia probe was launched or its principal findings. Meanwhile, Attorney General William Barr has appointed a prosecutor to investigate the origins of the Russia probe. Meanwhile, attacking the Russia probe is a core part of Trump's campaign. Those attacks on the Russia probe may not win over many undecided voters.

On Friday, Trump told conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh that Justice Department investigators had “plenty of time to do it. After Limbaugh read Trump an Axios story on the topic, Trump said he'd be disappointed if Barr had relayed that message to lawmakers. Still, much of the uptick in tensions between Trump and Barr centers on the Justice Department's handling of the Durham probe. Even the outlines of the case involving FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who pleaded guilty in the Durham probe, were already known before he was charged. Trump aides had banked on the Durham probe being finished before 2020 election to lend credibility to Trump’s claims that his own investigative agencies were working against him.

With time running out for pre-election action on the case, Trump is increasingly airing his dissatisfaction in tweets and television appearances. Still, much of the uptick in tensions between Trump and Barr centers on the Justice Department's handling of the Durham probe. A senior administration official said Trump feels like he’s given Barr wide latitude to advance the investigation, including declassifying documents related to Russia. Even the outlines of the case involving FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who pleaded guilty in the Durham probe, were already known before he was charged. Barr has privately expressed frustration over the president's public pronouncements on the Durham investigation.

WASHINGTON – A federal prosecutor who was helping lead the investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe has resigned from the Justice Department, a spokesman said. It leaves the investigative team without one of its veteran prosecutors as key decisions presumably await before the probe wraps up. In the year and a half since, he has questioned former law enforcement and intelligence officials — former CIA Director John Brennan among them — about decisions made during the course of the Russia probe. It's also not clear that Durham's work would be permitted to continue if Trump loses in November and Democratic leadership assumes control at the Justice Department. The court ruled that U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan did not have to dismiss the case just because the Justice Department wanted him to.

WASHINGTON – A federal prosecutor who was helping lead the investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe has resigned from the Justice Department, a spokesman said Friday. Durham's appointment by Attorney General William Barr was made public soon after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russian election interference. In the year and a half since, he has questioned former law enforcement and intelligence officials — former CIA Director John Brennan among them — about decisions made during the course of the Russia probe. But the prosecution did not allege a broader conspiracy within the FBI, and the conduct it involved had largely been laid out in a Justice Department inspector general report from last December. It is not clear if Durham will be able to wrap up before the election, though Barr did not rule out the possibility of additional criminal charges.

WASHINGTON A former FBI lawyer pleaded guilty Wednesday to altering a document related to the secret surveillance of a former Trump campaign adviser during the Russia investigation. Kevin Clinesmith, who pleaded guilty to making a false statement, is the first current or former official to be charged in a special Justice Department review of the investigation into ties between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Attorney General William Barr appointed John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, to scrutinize decisions made by officials during that probe.

WASHINGTON A former FBI lawyer will plead guilty to making a false statement in the first criminal case arising from U.S. Attorney John Durham's investigation into the probe of ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. The investigation has proceeded alongside a parallel effort by Senate Republicans to discredit the Russia probe and as Attorney General William Barr has escalated his own criticism of the FBI's probe. Clinesmith was referred for potential prosecution by the department's inspector general's office, which conducted its own review of the Russia investigation. Former Attorney General Eric Holder selected him during the Obama administration to investigate the CIA's harsh interrogation techniques of terror suspects and the destruction of videotapes documenting that interrogation. Barr signaled his skepticism with the Russia investigation right away, concluding that Trump had not obstructed justice even though Mueller had pointedly left that question unresolved.

Barr is scheduled to appear for the first time before the House Judiciary Committeeon Tuesday, July 28. Massive but peaceful demonstrations had followed Floyd's death in May. But he will also condemn Americans who he says have responded inappropriately to Floyd's death through what he said was rioting and anarchy. Barr also pushed for a more lenient sentence for another Trump ally, Roger Stone, prompting the entire trial team's departure. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday on MSNBC that Democrats want to question Barr about how Trump is undermining the Constitution of the United States. Barr previously rebuffed the House committee and Pelosi said that we hope that he will show up."

FILE - In this March 23, 2020, file photo Attorney General William Barr speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room in Washington. Barr is scheduled to appear for the first time before the House Judiciary Committeeon Tuesday, July 28. Massive but peaceful demonstrations had followed Floyd's death in May. But he will also condemn Americans who he says have responded inappropriately to Floyd's death through what he said was rioting and anarchy. Barr also pushed for a more lenient sentence for another Trump ally, Roger Stone, prompting the entire trial team's departure.

President Donald Trump speaks during a law enforcement briefing on the MS-13 gang in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, July 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

President Donald Trump speaks during a law enforcement briefing on the MS-13 gang in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, July 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)NEW YORK Federal authorities announced terrorism charges Wednesday against a leader of MS-13, continuing a nationwide crackdown against a notorious street gang that President Donald Trump described as vile and evil." An indictment unsealed in Virginia against Melgar Diaz marked the first time the Justice Department has brought terrorism charges against a member of MS-13. Attorney General William Barr described Diaz as the person who would green-light assassinations for the gang in the United States. The president said Wednesday that U.S. Immigration and Customs has arrested more than 2,000 MS-13 members over the past few years.