Wednesday, June 21, 2023

The Complete Durham 'Russiagate' Report: A veteran journalist takes a critical look at prosecutor's probe of FBI actions in the case of Russia and Trump campaign

 

John Durham, special counsel appointed by former U.S. Attorney General William Barr, is set to testify today before the House Judiciary Committee about his report on the FBI's investigation of  possible links between Russia and the 2016 Donald Trump campaign. That makes a book by Andrew Kreig, released earlier this week, particularly timely.

Kreig, executive director of the Justice Integrity Project, is based in Washington, D.C., and has a varied background in law, journalism, business, and nonprofit advocacy. He is the author of three books, including his latest -- The Complete Durham 'Russiagate' Report: A Corrupt, Cruel Fraud (Eagle View Books, 2023). The book is a critical examination of Durham's legal activities, both before and after he launched a controversial probe of the FBI's handling of the Trump-Russia case. Kreig's book was released on Monday (6/19/23) in conjunction with Durham's appearance before the U.S. House.

How did The Complete Durham 'Russiagate' Report come to life? Kreig provides background:

The book features Durham’s full report in print, plus the results of an investigation into his track record. I began my part in this research in 2010, with my column about it in Harvard University’s Nieman Watchdog, a publication for journalists edited by the late former Washington Post editor Barry Sussman.

The book grew out of my perception that Durham’s approach was highly incongruent with what I had witnessed in general as a reporter covering the Justice Department full-time for five years for the Hartford Courant, a metro newspaper of more than 220,000 circulation that could afford close coverage of the courts. Later, I became law clerk to a U.S. district judge in Boston known for close scrutiny of Department of Justice misconduct on different matters and more recently I followed closely aberrations in the trials last year of Mr. Durham’s targets, Michael Sussmann and Igor Danchenko.

A media advisory provides additional background on Kreig's latest work, and how it ties to  current events:

A new book provides the complete report by Department of Justice Special Counsel John H. Durham regarding his investigation into the FBI’s probe of Russia-related matters in the 2016 U.S. presidential election — along with a devastating critique of Durham’s own track record through the years. It leads up to current events about Russia and U.S. politics.

The Complete Durham ‘Russiagate’ Report is the first book to examine Durham’s work in depth. The product of 12 years of research about the prosecutor’s career, the book reveals that four federal judges have vacated, on grounds of prosecutorial misconduct, convictions that Durham and his close colleagues won. And that was before his controversial special counsel probe and its dramatic 2022 losses in federal courts.

Announcement of the book and its pending publication coincide with Durham’s appearance before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, whose Republican leaders are expected to use his disputed report to revive arguments that juries rejected.

Author and Editor Andrew Kreig, a Washington insider, sets the scene. Curious about omissions in most news accounts regarding Durham’s track record in Connecticut and nationally, the author’s investigation reveals a chilling tale — and new hope for civic reformers of all political viewpoints.

The Complete Durham Russiagate Report is available in various formats via Amazon.

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