The AP delivered today’s good news this morning: “Attorney General William Barr has appointed a U.S. attorney to examine the origins of the Russia investigation and determine if intelligence collection involving the Trump campaign was ‘lawful and appropriate,’ according to a person familiar with the issue.”
I love that “person familiar with the issue.” Someone’s giving it back to the bad boys who’ve been dishing it out via the New York Times in the style of the Times.
The AP report continues with another Times-like touch: “Barr appointed John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, to conduct the inquiry, the person said. The person could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke Monday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.” We are missing only “on account of the sensitivity of the matter.” Otherwise perfect.
One might infer from Attorney General Barr’s recent congressional testimony that Barr has an inkling of the findings in the pending Inspector General report on the FISA warrants and that Durham has been on the case for a while. Indeed, FOX News reports that Durham has been on the case for “a few weeks.” That is great news.
And that’s not all. Now comes the formidable Eric Felten to report that “New Russiagate Prober Has Haunted FBI for Months.” That “new Russiagate prober” would of course be John Durham. Eric notes that Durham “appears to have begun that work more than seven months ago, to judge from an underreported transcript of an October congressional interview with Baker. The Baker interview, at which Durham was not present, suggests that the prosecutor nevertheless has some people very worried.”
One more good thing. Durham serves under the direction of Attorney General Barr. This is not some endless free-floating crap game orchestrated by a Special Counsel.
Let’s take the time to let it all sink in and enjoy it. We aren’t used to getting this much good news at one time.
UPDATE: I had missed Laura Jarrett’s CNN report on Barr’s on the scope of the Barr review.
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