(FreedomBeacon.com)- On Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland offered his expectation on when special counsel John Durham’s final report will be completed, Fox News reported.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana asked the attorney general why former Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussman was allowed to have a badge giving his access to the FBI headquarters in Washington during the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
Sussman was indicted by Durham for lying to the FBI but later acquitted of the charge.
Garland refused to answer Kennedy’s question, explaining that it would be better to wait until Durham completes his final report, which he said should be happening “relatively soon.”
Garland explained that he does not want to interfere with Durham’s probe and suggested that Kennedy’s question should be posed to Durham. But as a general matter, Garland said he can ask his team to find out how some lawyers have “special badges” to access the FBI headquarters.
For nearly four years, John Durham has been looking into Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI’s Trump/Russia collusion investigation. In October 2020, then-Attorney General Bill Barr named Durham special counsel to ensure he could continue his probe after the presidential election.
While the Durham probe has been cheered by former President Trump and his allies in Congress, Democrats have claimed that it is a politically-motivated investigation designed to discredit both the FBI and former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
In February, House Judiciary Democrat Jamie Raskin called for Congress to investigate the Durham probe.
The Durham investigation resulted in three indictments. In addition to Sussman, Durham obtained indictments for Igor Danchenko and FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith.
While Sussman and Danchenko were both acquitted at trial, Clinesmith pleaded guilty to falsifying documents to obtain a renewal to a FISA surveillance warrant on former Trump campaign staffer Carter Page. However, Clinesmith was sentenced only to community service.
