Former President Donald Trump responded to Monday’s bombshell report from special counsel John Durham with a mix of satisfaction and fury after it vindicated his years-long claim that the so-called “Trump-Russia collusion” narrative was a fabrication by U.S. government agencies.
Trump asserted that former FBI Director James Comey, whom he fired early in his term, and Democrats should be held accountable for dedicating years to investigate the alleged conspiracy after Durham concluded that the probe should have never been initiated.
“I, and much more importantly, the American public, have been victims of this long-running and treasonous charade started by the Democrats — started by Comey,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “There must be a heavy price to pay for putting our country through this.”
Durham’s report found that the Department of Justice and FBI “failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law” when it launched the hoax probe.
In the interview, Trump said the FBI’s actions were “a total disgrace” and added that “public anger over this report is at a level that I have not seen before.”
“This report took a long time because John Durham is a very thorough investigator,” Trump said. “But the result is unequivocal and an absolute disaster in terms of justice.”
Trump added that “the national security implications of what they did are very grave.”
“It turned out to be a giant and very dangerous hoax,” he said, adding that he would have “further comment in the near future.”
Fox News noted further:
Durham’s report was released Monday afternoon after his years-long investigation into the origins of the FBI’s original investigation, known as “Crossfire Hurricane.” That investigation looked into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election, and his report spanned more than 300 pages.
“Based on the review of Crossfire Hurricane and related intelligence activities, we conclude that the Department and the FBI failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law in connection with certain events and activities described in this report,” the report noted.
Durham also said his probe also revealed that “senior FBI personnel displayed a serious lack of analytical rigor towards the information that they received, especially information received from politically-affiliated persons and entities.”
“This information in part triggered and sustained Crossfire Hurricane and contributed to the subsequent need for Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation,” the report states. “In particular, there was significant reliance on investigative leads provided or funded (directly or indirectly) by Trump’s political opponents.”
That included the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign.
“The Department did not adequately examine or question these materials and the motivations of those providing them, even when at about the same time the Director the FBI and others learned of significant and potentially contrary intelligence,” the report states.
Durham refers to past FBI leadership in his report – specifically Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.