Trump blasts special counsel Durham for moving too slowly

President Trump on Wednesday vented frustration with special counsel John Durham for not completing an investigation into the FBI’s Russia probe before the election.

In a 45-minute long pre-recorded video posted on Facebook, in which he ranted about the election being “rigged” against him, Trump veered off to fume at former FBI Director James Comey and others he said had illegally spied on his campaign as part of an investigation into Russian election interference.

“We caught them all,” Trump said. “We’re still waiting for a report from a man named Durham who I’ve never spoken to and never met. They can go after me before the election as much as they want, but unfortunately Mr. Durham didn’t want to go after these people…before the election, so who knows if he’ll ever even do a report.”

Attorney General William Barr appointed Durham, a prosecutor investigating the origins of the 2016 Russia probe, as special counsel to ensure his investigation continues even after President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

Durham was appointed under the same statute that governed Robert Mueller when he was made special counsel to investigate the Trump campaign and its contacts with Russia. 

Barr told Congress that he expects the Durham probe to be finished by the summer, saying it had been slowed by the coronavirus pandemic and “additional information he uncovered.”

Durham is investigating potential criminal conduct in the FBI’s probe into the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russia, including some officials who were involved in Mueller’s special counsel appointment.

“If you look at the lies and leaks and illegal acts done by so many people…something should happen,” Trump said. “The hardest thing I have to do is explain why nothing is happening to all of these people who got caught spying on my campaign.”