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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 16 May 2023
Prosecutor ends probe of FBI's Trump-Russia investigation

By ERIC TUCKER and spies. It also stressed that
LINDSAY WHITEHURST the report focused on prior
Associated Press leadership.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A "Had those reforms been
special prosecutor has in place in 2016, the mis-
ended his four-year investi- steps identified in the report
gation into possible FBI mis- could have been prevent-
conduct in its probe of ties ed. This report reinforces
between Russia and Don- the importance of ensuring
ald Trump's 2016 campaign the FBI continues to do its
with withering criticism of work with the rigor, objec-
the bureau but a meager tivity, and professionalism
court record that fell far the American people de-
short of the former presi- serve and rightly expect,"
dent's prediction he would the FBI said in a statement.
uncover the "crime of the Durham, the former U.S.
century." Attorney in Connecticut,
The report Monday from was appointed in 2019 by
special counsel John Dur- Trump's attorney general,
ham represents the long- William Barr, soon after spe-
awaited culmination of an cial counsel Robert Muel-
investigation that Trump ler had completed his in-
and allies had claimed vestigation into whether
would expose massive Special counsel John Durham, the prosecutor appointed to investigate potential government the 2016 Trump campaign
wrongdoing by law en- wrongdoing in the early days of the Trump-Russia probe, leaves federal court in Washington, May had colluded with Russia to
16, 2022.
forcement and intelligence Associated Press move the outcome of the
officials. Instead, Durham's election in his favor.
investigation delivered a full-fledged investigation ited throughout Crossfire rective actions. Still, Dur- The Mueller investigation
underwhelming results, based on "raw, unanalyzed Hurricane is extremely trou- ham's findings are likely to resulted in roughly three
with prosecutors securing and uncorroborated intel- blesome," the report said. amplify scrutiny of the FBI at dozen criminal charges,
a guilty plea from a little- ligence," saying the speed "Crossfire Hurricane" was a time when Trump is again including convictions of a
known FBI employee but at which it did so was a de- the FBI code name for its seeking the White House as half-dozen Trump associ-
losing the only two criminal parture from the norm. And investigation. well as offer fresh fodder for ates, and concluded that
cases they took to trial. it said investigators repeat- The impact of Durham's re- congressional Republicans Russia intervened on the
The roughly 300-page re- edly relied on "confirmation port, though harshly critical who have launched their Trump campaign's behalf
port catalogs what Durham bias," ignoring or rational- of the FBI, is likely blunted own investigation into the and that the campaign
says were a series of mis- izing away evidence that by Durham's spotty pros- purported "weaponization" welcomed the help.
steps by the FBI and Justice undercut their premise of ecution record and by of the FBI and Justice De- But Mueller's team did not
Department as investiga- a Trump-Russia conspiracy the fact that many of the partment. find that they actually con-
tors undertook a politically as they pushed the probe seven-year-old episodes it The FBI released a letter to spired to sway the election,
explosive probe in the heat forward. cites were already exam- Durham outlining chang- creating an opening for
of the 2016 election into "Again, the FBI's failure to ined in depth by the Jus- es it has made, including critics of the probe — in-
whether the Trump cam- critically analyze informa- tice Department's inspec- steps to ensure the accura- cluding Barr himself — to
paign was colluding with tion that ran counter to the tor general. cy of secretive surveillance complain that it had been
Russia to tip the outcome. It narrative of a Trump/Russia The FBI has also long since applications to eavesdrop launched without a proper
criticized the FBI for opening collusive relationship exhib- announced dozens of cor- on suspected terrorists and basis.q

Former Detroit lawmaker joins race for Michigan seat in US Senate

that she is running for the dates, including business- Longtime Democratic Sen.
state's open U.S. Senate man Nasser Beydoun and Debbie Stabenow shocked
seat in 2024. Love served in lawyer Zack Burns, who many in the state in Janu-
the Michigan House from will contend with U.S. Rep. ary when she announced
2015 to 2020, when she re- Elissa Slotkin in the primary. she would not seek a fifth
tired due to term limits. She A third term representative term and would retire at
joined the state's Natural in one of the country's most the end of next year, leav-
Resource Committee in competitive districts, Slot- ing an open Senate seat
2021 before stepping down kin, the most high-profile in one of the country's pre-
last week to pursue a Sen- name in the race, raised mier battlegrounds. Stabe-
ate campaign. $3 million in the first month now has said she will not
"This election is about more of her campaign after an- endorse in the Democratic
than who raises the most nouncing in February. primary.
money," Love said in state- If elected, Love would be Republicans Michael
ment. "We want to demon- Michigan's first black Sena- Hoover and Nikki Snyder,
Michigan state Rep. Leslie Love, D-Detroit, speaks at the state strate to people that gov- tor. She is also from Detroit, a State Board of Educa-
Capitol in Lansing, Mich., July 12, 2017.
Associated Press ernment can work when a city without Black rep- tion member, are also run-
we elect a leader from the resentation in Congress ning for the seat. Republi-
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI a Democrat who repre- people, by the people, for the first time since the cans have taken just one
Associated Press sented Detroit for six years who puts the people first." early 1950s following four- of Michigan's last 15 Sen-
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — For- in the Michigan Legisla- Love joins a small crowd term U.S. Rep. Brenda Law- ate races, winning an open
mer state Rep. Leslie Love, ture, announced Monday of Democratic candi- rence's retirement last year. seat in 1994.q