JOHN DURHAM

Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin eviscerated Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe as a “total flop," urging the House Subcommittee on Weaponization to “investigate” the “abusive ways” the special counsel team keeps "pressing” for information.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin announced that the committee will “take a hard look” into a “alleged misconduct” by the Special Counsel John Durham's investigation.

John Durham, appointed by Bill Barr, relied on claims from Russian intelligence analysts to obtain a US citizen's emails, The New York Times reported.

The appointment of a special counsel to oversee the Justice Department probes into the discovery of classified documents at the home and former office of President Joe Biden has focused renewed attention on the role such prosecutors have played in modern American history.

The special counsel’s work has been underway since 2019 and appears to be winding down, after one guilty plea for for altering an email and two acquittals at trial.

GOP needs new ‘Church Committee’ to hold FBI, Justice Department accountable for abusing counterintelligence efforts, attacking Democrats’ political enemies.

Former President Donald Trump once predicted that a special prosecutor appointed during his administration would uncover “the crime of the century” — a conspiracy to sink his 2016 campaign.

Due to inflation, IRS raises standard deduction and tax brackets for 2023

The Steele dossier, based on unproven research, was filled with unproven, compromising personal and financial information about Trump.

A jury acquitted think tank analyst Igor Danchenko, who was accused of lying to the FBI about his role in the creation of a discredited dossier about former President Donald Trump.

A jury has acquitted on all counts a think tank analyst accused of lying to the FBI about his role in the creation of a discredited dossier about former President Donald Trump.

A jury on Tuesday acquitted a think tank analyst accused of lying to the FBI about his role in the creation of a discredited dossier about former President Donald Trump. The case against Igor Danchenko was the third and possibly final case brought by Special Counsel John Durham as part of his probe into how the FBI conducted its own investigation into allegations of collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

A jury has heard closing arguments in the trial of a think tank analyst accused of lying to the FBI about his role in the creation of a discredited dossier about former President Donald Trump.

The prosecution of a think tank analyst who played a major role in the creation of a discredited dossier about former President Donald Trump flows from a special counsel investigation that was born of political retribution and assumed guilt from the start, defense lawyers argued Monday. A jury in U.S. District Court in Alexandria heard closing arguments in the case against Igor Danchenko. The Russian national is accused of lying to the FBI about how he obtained information that ended up in the “Steele dossier,” a compendium of allegations that Trump's 2016 presidential campaign was colluding with the Kremlin.

Constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley broke down the larger implications of the trial of Igor Danchenko on "The Five" Friday.

U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga acquitted Russian national Igor Danchenko on one of five counts against him, after Special Counsel John Durham charged him with making false statements to the FBI.

Greg Gutfeld reacted to an email revealing DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was alerted that no migrants were "whipped" in "whipping hoax" incident on "Gutfeld!"

The FBI paid Russian national Igor Danchenko more than $200,000 to serve as a confidential human source from 2017 to late 2020.

An FBI agent testified Thursday that Igor Danchenko was a valuable FBI informant and said losing him as a covert human source harms U.S. national security.

The primary source for allegations in a flawed dossier about former President Donald Trump told the FBI that he was shocked and dismayed that the speculative information he provided was portrayed as fact.

Neither the FBI nor any other intelligence agency had any corroboration for allegations included in the anti-Trump dossier that was used to justify the FISA warrant against Carter Page.

The FBI agent who questioned an analyst charged with lying to the bureau about his role in the creation of a flawed dossier about former President Donald Trump has twice testified that he believes the analyst was truthful with him.

The FBI agent who questioned a think tank analyst charged with lying to the bureau about his role in the creation of a flawed dossier about former President Donald Trump has twice testified that he believes the analyst was truthful with him, jurors heard Wednesday. FBI analyst Brian Auten testified for a second straight day at U.S. District Court in Alexandria at the trial of Igor Danchenko. The Russian-born analyst, who now lives in Virginia, faces a five-count indictment alleging he made false statements to the FBI about his sources of information he provided about Trump to British spy Christopher Steele.

Russian national Igor Danchenko's trial — the second out of Special Counsel John Durham's years-long investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe — began Tuesday.

A federal jury in Virginia has heard opening statements in the trial of a think tank analyst who played a major role in the creation of a flawed dossier about former President Donald Trump.

The second trial out of Special Counsel John Durham’s years-long investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe begins this week.

A think tank analyst who played a major role in the creation of a flawed dossier about former President Donald Trump is scheduled to go on trial.

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that prosecutors cannot present evidence to a jury about the most salacious parts of a flawed dossier alleging connections between former President Donald Trump and Russia at an upcoming trial of an analyst who served as a primary source for that report. Igor Danchenko is scheduled to go on trial next week in U.S. District Court in Alexandria on charges of lying to the FBI. Special Counsel John Durham says Danchenko was a primary source of information in a dossier about Trump prepared by British spy Christopher Steele at the request of Democrats during the 2016 presidential campaign.

A judge is allowing prosecutors to move forward with their criminal case against an analyst who provided key details for a flawed dossier of ex-President Donald Trump, but the judge called his decision “an extremely close call.”.

EXCLUSIVE: The Trump team said Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Russia probe has become a "critical" to restoring transparency in the U.S. government.

Trump’s vindication can never be failed; it can only be delayed.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

But that doesn't mean the investigation, led by U.S. Attorney John Durham of Connecticut, doesn't carry its own political consequences. He was named last year by Barr to investigate the origins of the Russia investigation. Durham's investigation is one of multiple inquiries the department has undertaken in connection with the FBI's probe into potential coordination between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. In the statement, released through the Justice Department, Durham said he disagreed with the inspector general about the investigation being properly predicated. Trump is likely to seize on any modicum of questionable activity during the FBIs counterintelligence probe, which morphed into special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation.

We live in a very divided country right now, and I think that it is critical that we have an election where the American people are allowed to make a decision, a choice, between President Trump and Vice President Biden based on a robust debate of policy issues," Barr said. But his comments Monday seemed designed at least in part to temper expectations among some Trump supporters that the investigation could ensnare Biden or Obama. Whatever their level of involvement, based on the information I have today, I dont expect Mr. Durhams work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man, Barr said, referring to Obama and Biden. Demands by Trump allies for investigations into Biden and Obama escalated in the last week after the president's top intelligence official declassified a list related to the Flynn investigation. Asked later about Barr's comments about Obama and Biden, Trump told reporters he was surprised because he believed the men knew everything that was happening" and were involved in the takedown of a president."