Report by the U.S. Department of Justice on the investigation of the 2016 presidential election is protected by copyright. Bing AI only briefly summarize the main points of the report as follows:
- The report was prepared by John H. Durham, a special counsel appointed by former Attorney General William Barr in 2019 to investigate the origins and conduct of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation, which examined possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia.
- The report concludes that there was sufficient predication for the FBI to open the Crossfire Hurricane investigation in July 2016, based on information from a friendly foreign government that a Trump campaign adviser had been told that Russia had damaging information on Hillary Clinton.
- The report also finds that there was no evidence of political bias or improper motivation in the FBI’s decision to open the investigation or in its interactions with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) to obtain surveillance warrants on Carter Page, another Trump campaign adviser.
- However, the report identifies significant errors and omissions in the FBI’s applications to the FISC, as well as failures to comply with the Woods Procedures, which require verification of factual assertions in FISA applications. The report also criticizes the FBI’s handling of information from Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer who compiled a dossier of allegations about Trump and Russia, and questions the reliability and relevance of some of his sources.
- The report recommends that the FBI and the Department of Justice take steps to improve their policies and procedures for FISA applications, especially in cases involving sensitive investigative matters or U.S. persons. The report also suggests that the Department of Justice consider revising its regulations for appointing special counsels, to provide more clarity and accountability for their scope and authority.
Searching for: Clinton connection in Durham report
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The report does not directly implicate Hillary Clinton or her 2016 campaign in any criminal wrongdoing, but it does criticize some of their actions and connections related to the Trump-Russia allegations. According to the report:
- The report suggests that Hillary Clinton approved a plan to “vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by Russian security services” in July 2016, based on a Russian intelligence analysis that was shared with then-CIA Director John Brennan. However, the report acknowledges that the US intelligence community did not know whether this Russian assessment was accurate or not1.
- The report reveals how senior members of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign formed a “joint venture” with lawyers, opposition researchers, foreign nationals, and computer data analysts to produce false opposition research against then-candidate Donald Trump and aggressively disseminated that disinformation to reporters, the FBI, and others2. This included the infamous “Steele dossier” and the “Alfa-Bank” allegations of a secret communication channel between Trump and the Kremlin.
- The report details how differently the FBI handled similar Clinton-related controversies that could affect the election but that were all treated with “caution” by the FBI. For example, the FBI did not reopen the investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server until late October 2016, after obtaining a search warrant for Anthony Weiner’s laptop, which contained thousands of Clinton’s emails. The FBI also did not disclose the existence of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation or its findings to Congress or the public before the election3.
- The report identifies a connection between a lawyer with connections to the Clinton campaign named Michael Sussmann and a technology executive who Durham claims “exploited” internet data legally gathered from the White House and Trump Tower. Sussmann allegedly lied to the FBI about his relationship with the Clinton campaign when he met with an FBI lawyer in September 2016 and presented him with data suggesting a link between Trump and Alfa-Bank. Sussmann has been indicted by Durham for making false statements to the FBI4.
There are some videos on YouTube about the report and Clinton. Here are some of them:
- Durham report a ‘stunning affirmation’ of corruption: Former Clinton adviser. This video features an interview with Mark Penn, a former adviser to Bill and Hillary Clinton, who discusses the implications of Durham’s report and criticizes the FBI and the media for their role in the Trump-Russia allegations1.
- U.S. Tax Judge Revives Clinton Foundation Case In Wake of Durham Report. This video reports on how a federal judge has ordered the IRS to explain why it rejected a whistleblower complaint alleging that the Clinton Foundation engaged in fraud and tax evasion2.
- Durham report shows it was Clinton, not Trump, who colluded with Russians: Victor Davis Hanson. This video features an interview with historian Victor Davis Hanson, who claims that Durham’s report shows that Hillary Clinton should be investigated for her overtures toward Russian entities and her role in spreading false information about Trump3.
- John Durham’s report on Trump-Russia probe released. This video provides a summary of the main findings and conclusions of Durham’s report, as well as some reactions from political analysts and lawmakers4.
- Durham report proves Hillary Clinton was Putin’s puppet — not Trump. This video is an opinion piece by Miranda Devine, a columnist for the New York Post, who argues that Durham’s report reveals that Hillary Clinton and her allies were unwittingly or knowingly helping Putin to undermine American democracy5.