The US Department of Justice revealed Tuesday, December 1, that it had appointed an independent special prosecutor to continue investigating the management of the investigations carried out from 2016 to 2018 into a possible collusion between Russia and Donald Trump's campaign team.
Justice Minister Bill Barr has appointed Federal Prosecutor John Durham to this post to investigate precisely the investigators, who may include former FBI Director James Comey and former Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller.
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John Durham was already investigating these matters under William Barr, but his appointment as special prosecutor will allow him to continue his investigations once a new Minister of Justice is appointed, after the departure of Donald Trump and the arrival of Joe. Biden in office on January 20.
It would be politically difficult for William Barr's replacement to put an end to John Durham's activities.
"Witch hunt"
Bill Barr made the appointment on October 19, but it appears he did not announce it so as not to influence the November 3 presidential election.
The current Minister of Justice had chosen John Durham in April 2019 to investigate allegations, emanating mainly from Donald Trump, that the Russian investigation was a
"witch hunt"
aimed at sabotaging his administration.
But so far John Durham has made only one case, against an FBI lawyer who altered an email in filed documents to obtain permission to wiretap a member of Trump's campaign team .
Read also: An investigation into the Russian investigation: the Trump administration accused of politicizing justice
In appointing John Durham on October 19, Bill Barr had said that the latter's investigation
"had turned into a criminal investigation, which remains ongoing
.
"
The FBI investigation was launched in July 2016 and Robert Mueller's investigation began in May 2017. Both focused on parallels between Russian hacks and social media manipulation for Donald Trump in 2016. , and contacts between the Republican campaign team and Moscow.
Six members of the entourage, more or less close, of the president were indicted or convicted in the wake of the Russian investigation.
Robert Mueller has found no evidence of criminal cooperation between Russia and the billionaire's campaign team.