Attorney General Bill Barr appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham as special counsel to continue investigating the origins of the Russia probe in the next administration.
Barr appointed Durham as special counsel on Oct. 19—two weeks prior to Election Day.
“On May 13, 2019, I directed John Durham, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, to investigate certain intelligence and law-enforcement activities surrounding the 2016 presidential election,” Barr wrote. “Although I had expected Mr. Durham to complete his work by the summer of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as additional information he uncovered, prevented him from doing so.”
“In advance of the presidential election, I decided to appoint Mr. Durham as a Special Counsel to provide him and his team with the assurance that they could complete their work, without regard to the outcome of the election,” Barr wrote, adding that he appointed Durham with “the powers and authority of a Special Counsel” on Oct. 19.
News: Here is a copy of the order from Barr appointing John Durham as special counsel of the investigation into the origins of the Russia probe pic.twitter.com/rUFbDO6Amj
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) December 1, 2020
BREAKING: Attorney General William Barr appointed John Durham as special counsel to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe. The appointment gives Durham extra protection to complete his work without being easily fired. https://t.co/PccPPYU4sS
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 1, 2020