A former FBI lawyer will plead guilty to making a false statement in the first criminal case arising from U.S. Attorney John Durham's investigation into the probe of ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. The investigation has proceeded alongside a parallel effort by Senate Republicans to discredit the Russia probe and as Attorney General William Barr has escalated his own criticism of the FBI's probe. Inspector general found mistakes, not biasClinesmith was referred for potential prosecution by the department's inspector general's office, which conducted its own review of the Russia investigation. Durham, at the behest of Barr, has been conducting an investigation into the probe of ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. Barr signalled his skepticism with the Russia investigation right away, concluding that Trump had not obstructed justice even though Mueller had pointedly left that question unresolved.

Source: CBC News August 14, 2020 17:05 UTC