CNN anchor Jake Tapper has acknowledged the long-awaited report from special counsel John Durham on the 2016 Trump-Russia investigation, which concluded that the FBI had no evidence to support a Trump-Russia scandal when the probe began.
Tapper said on Monday that the report, which found “sobering” differences in how the FBI approached the Trump probe compared to other politically sensitive investigations, “does exonerate Donald Trump to a degree.”
TAPPER: Durham report is “devastating to the FBI and to a degree, it does exonerate Donald Trump.” pic.twitter.com/DC30fNpEve
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 15, 2023
The report, which is 306 pages long, says that FBI personnel “repeatedly disregarded important requirements when they continued to seek renewals of that FISA surveillance while acknowledging – both then and in hindsight – that they did not genuinely believe there was probably cause to believe that the target was knowingly engaged in clandestine intelligence activities on behalf of foreign power.”
The report has stirred up controversy in the media. Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of The Federalist, called Tapper “Patient Zero” for pushing the alleged collusion back in January 2017, and said he “should personally apologize for his role.” Former CNN sports correspondent Keith Olbermann called Tapper’s remarks the network’s latest scandal and said he should resign.
Durham was appointed by former Attorney General Bill Barr to examine the propriety of the FBI’s investigation of President Trump. The report concluded that, “based on the review of Crossfire Hurricane and related intelligence activities, we concluded the Department and the FBI failed to uphold their important mission of strict fidelity to the law in connection with certain events and activities described in this report.”
The Durham Report is insanely damning of the FBI, the Clinton campaign, the Obama administration, and everyone involved in the Russia-Trump smear. Absolutely shocking stuff. https://t.co/qR0GEOU9x6
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 15, 2023
Meanwhile, President Trump has responded to the report by saying that it “totally exonerates” him, while the Department of Justice has said that the report does not “exonerate” anyone.
The report has been seen as a win for the Trump administration, as it has put to rest many of the allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. However, it has also highlighted concerns over the FBI’s handling of the investigation, raising questions about how the intelligence agency conducts investigations.
