Senate Democrats Demand Investigation of the John Durham Investigation's Investigation [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Law and Crime


MATT NAHAM
Sep 17th, 2020, 4:43 pm




In a sign of the times, Senate Democrats on Thursday demanded an investigation of John Durham’s investigation of the Russia investigation. Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, including Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s choice for vice president Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), asked Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz to examine whether Durham’s probe has run afoul of DOJ policies meant to insulate criminal investigations from partisan whims and aims.

Sens. Harris, Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). signed the letter.

The letter cited the recent resignation of Durham’s top aide Nora Dannehy from the investigation. Dannehy reportedly resigned out of concern that the investigation was being pressured by Attorney General Bill Barr to come up with results before the election, ostensibly so investigative findings—regardless of their completeness—can be used for maximum political impact.

“The Department’s mission to ‘ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans’ requires that its prosecutorial decisions be insulated from political influence. To that end, longstanding rules restrain Department personnel from publicly commenting on pending investigations, taking actions that may affect an upcoming election, and communicating with the White House about ongoing criminal investigations,” the letter began, before shifting attention to what “[r]ecent reports suggest.”.

Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/senate-democrats-demand-investigation-of-the-john-durham-investigations-investigation/