John Durham resigns as US attorney but says he will keep investigating the origins of the Russia probe
John Durham announced on Friday that he would resign as U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut but will continue to work for the Justice Department as special counsel in the investigation into the origins of the the Russia probe.
Durham was named as special counsel into the Russia probe investigation in October by former Attorney General Bill Barr after he was appointed to the U.S. attorney job by former President Donald Trump in 2018, WTIC-TV reported.
The Justice Department said earlier this month it would ask Trump-appointed U.S. attorneys to resign from their posts.
A Justice Department official told WTIC-TV that Durham, 71, will stay in his role as special counsel in the Russia probe investigation.
'My career has been as fulfilling as I could ever have imagined when I graduated from law school way back in 1975,' Durham said in a statement, according to WTIC-TV.
'Much of that fulfillment has come from all the people with whom I've been blessed to share this workplace, and in our partner law enforcement agencies.'
Durham, center, will continue as special counsel in the investigation of the origins of the Trump-Russia inquiry
Durham, not pictured, was appointed by former AG Bill Barr, left, as special counsel to investigate the origins of the probe into ties between Donald Trump. right, and Russia
Biden's Justice Department said earlier this month it would ask Trump-appointed U.S. attorneys to resign
He continued: 'My love and respect for this Office and the vitally important work done here have never diminished. It has been a tremendous honor to serve as U.S. Attorney, and as a career prosecutor before that, and I will sorely miss it.'
Barr previously told the Associated Press he had appointed Durham as a special counsel under the same federal regulations that governed special counsel Robert Mueller in the original Russia probe.
He said Durham's investigation has been narrowing to focus more on the conduct of FBI agents who worked on the Russia investigation, known by the code name of Crossfire Hurricane.
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. An attorney general must document such reasons in writing.
In July 2016, the FBI began investigating whether the Trump campaign was coordinating with Russia to sway the outcome of the presidential election.
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.
The early months of the investigation, when agents obtained secret surveillance warrants targeting a former Trump campaign aide, have long been scrutinized by Trump and other critics of the probe who say the FBI made significant errors.
An inspector general report in 2019 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.
Barr decided 'the best thing to do would be to appoint them under the same regulation that covered Bob Mueller, to provide Durham and his team some assurance that they'd be able to complete their work regardless of the outcome of the election,' he said Tuesday.
Leonard Boyle, right, will replace Durham as acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut
Durham's investigation has resulted in one prosecution so far: a guilty plea by a former FBI lawyer who admitted altering an email.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonard Boyle will be replace Durham as acting U.S. attorney, WTIC-TV reported.
Durham also made news earlier this week for noting in a filing that President Joe Biden's Justice Department was withdrawing its support for a lawsuit aiming to prevent transgender athletes from competing in girls' high school sports.
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