Is the John Durham investigation going to result in any real accountability at the DOJ and FBI? I remain extremely skeptical following the acquittal of Michael Sussmann, who should have been dead to rights given the evidence against him. Still, we may at least learn some interesting things along the way.
On that front, Durham dropped a pretty stunning revelation regarding Igor Danchenko, who is currently being prosecuted for lying to the FBI. Danchenko was the primary sub-source for the discredited Steele Dossier and was caught in several falsehoods regarding the document.
Now, we are learning that after those lies were known, the FBI didn’t stop using him as a source. On the contrary, they made him a paid confidential informant until the month before the 2020 presidential election.
Today, Special Counsel John Durham moved to unseal this motion in limine in the false statements case against Igor Danchenko.
This motion provides new information on the details of Danchenko’s lies to the FBI, further information on how Special Counsel Mueller ignored Danchenko’s false statements, expected testimony from Clinton-connected executive Charles Dolan, and one crazy development.
But we’ll start with the the most damning development: Danchenko was on the FBI payroll as a confidential human source (CHS) from March 2017 through October 2020.
The timeframe involved here is just astonishing. Danchenko was brought onto the payroll under disgraced former FBI Dir. James Comey. That’s bad enough given that there was no evidence at the time that the Steele Dossier was credible. Yet, even after the Mueller investigation ended and it was known that Danchenko had outright lied to the government, he was still kept on until nearly the end of Donald Trump’s presidential term.
In other words, the man who helped form the basis for the corrupt FISA warrants and spurned a years-long obsession with false “Russian collusion” conspiracy theories wasn’t cast aside. Instead, he was paid for with your tax dollars to continue being a “source” for Christoper Wray, the FBI’s current director.
As to why the FBI would do that, the reason is obvious: They wanted to bury Danchenko and keep him safe from any legal discovery.
Danchenko being a CHS also served another purpose: it protected the Bureau and the Mueller Special Counsel from revealing their “sources and methods.” How do you hide misconduct? Bury the witness.
This is why you should be highly suspicious anytime the intelligence apparatus uses the “sources and methods” excuse for hiding information. Danchenko was a known liar who the FBI knew had helped destroy a presidency (or at least knee-capped it severely) with false information. None of the high-ups wanted the embarrassment or the accountability that would come with Danchenko being exposed. In response, they hid him away, using the overly broad protections of the federal government to ensure none of this would come to light until Trump had left office.
The politicization of the DOJ and FBI during the Trump administration was just insane, and we are seeing that continue to this day. It appears that everything revolved around harming the orange man. Past that, it should also be noted that much of this happened under AG Bill Barr. Was he aware of the arrangement with Danchenko? That’s a question that he should be asked immediately.
As to where this leads, it probably leads to nowhere. Durham can expose all the evidence of illegality and corruption he wants. He still doesn’t stand a chance of securing any significant convictions because of how biased the jury pool is in DC. So while this is all good information to have, and John Durham is doing the best he can, don’t expect any comeuppance. The game is rigged.