Graham Statement on the Durham Report
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member, today made this statement after Special Counsel John Durham released a report on the origins of the FBI’s “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation and the false allegations of then-candidate Donald Trump’s campaign colluding with Russia.
Special Counsel Durham’s report found:
- “…the Department and the FBI failed to uphold their important mission of strict fidelity to the law in connection with certain events and activities…”
- “…neither U.S. law enforcement nor the Intelligence Community appears to have possessed any actual evidence of collusion in their holdings at the commencement of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.”
- “…the Crossfire Hurricane investigators did not and could not corroborate any of the substantive allegations contained in the Steele reporting.”
Graham said:
“What have we learned from the Durham Report? That the New York Times and Washington Post were given a Pulitzer Prize for writing a bunch of politically motivated crap. When it comes to reporting on Donald Trump, the mainstream media is dead.
“The Durham Report is a damning indictment of the FBI under James Comey and the operations of the Department of Justice. Their behavior during the Crossfire Hurricane investigation reads like a page out of the Nixon playbook.
“The findings we published when I was Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in regards to Crossfire Hurricane and the Mueller Investigation, are consistent with the Durham Report. Today, I am calling on Chairman Durbin to quickly hold a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Durham Report to fulfill the Committee’s oversight obligations.
“Not only could the FBI not verify the Steele Dossier – the essential foundation for surveillance warrants – they ignored exculpatory evidence and illegally altered evidence to continue the investigation. The facts confirm that the investigation was launched and continued as part of a political agenda.
“Sadly, this report – that shines a bright light on problems at the FBI and DOJ – reinforces the narrative that the Rule of Law in America is subservient to political outcomes. It is a very dangerous development and moment in American history.
“Unfortunately, when it comes to the American Left you will not hear about the Durham Report. The American Left celebrates bad actors like these because they had a ‘noble cause’ – taking down a political opponent. It is a case of the ends justifying the means. I hope they will prove me wrong and come out and make clear that the FBI and DOJ violated the constitutional protections of many, including Donald Trump, but I am not holding my breath.
“Finally, my advice to those unfairly maligned by the bogus Crossfire Hurricane investigation would be to hire a good lawyer and sue the hell out of them. Those responsible for Crossfire Hurricane destroyed reputations and lives, all in the name of politics. Someone needs to be held accountable for using the law as a political weapon and ruining innocent peoples’ lives.”
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