Former President Donald Trump erupted after the release of special counsel John Durham's report on his probe of the FBI's investigation into Trump's 2016 campaign ties to Russia.
The report singles out the FBI for acting on "raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence," and for handling "important aspects" of the probe in a "seriously deficient" manner rife with "confirmation bias."
Though legal experts widely panned the report as a failure, Trump declared it a win on Truth Social.
"WOW! After extensive research, Special Counsel John Durham concludes the FBI never should have launched the Trump-Russia Probe!" Trump wrote. "In other words, the American Public was scammed, just as it is being scammed right now by those who don't want to see GREATNESS for AMERICA!"
"The Durham Report spells out in great detail the Democrat Hoax that was perpetrated upon me and the American people," the ex-president said in another post. "This is 2020 Presidential Election Fraud, just like 'stuffing' the ballot boxes, only more so. This totally illegal act had a huge impact on the Election. With an honest Media, we are looking at the Crime of the Century!
"THEY ARE SCUM, LIKE COCKROACHES ALL OVER WASHINGTON, D.C.," Trump raged. "Congratulations to John Durham on a Report that is being praised for its quality, importance, and professionalism, by friend and foe alike!"
Trump singled out the Department of Justice in one post, writing, "JACK SMITH AND THE SPECIAL PERSECUTORS OFFICE ARE PLAYING THE SAME GAMES WITH ELECTION INTERFERENCE AND FAKE PROSECUTIONS AS JAMES COMEY, ONLY FAR MORE OBVIOUS."
"THE DOJ MUST END THIS CHARADE RIGHT NOW, AND THAT GOES TO THEIR USE OF D.A.'s & A.G's IN ATLANTA & NEW YORK. MAGA!!!" he added.
Following the report's release, legal experts have flagged that the report is missing critical components and should be viewed with scrutiny.
Former U.S. Attorney Barb McQuade, a University of Michigan law professor, took to Twitter to underscore some of the report's omissions, which she feels contributed to an incorrect conclusion that the FBI probe into Trump's dealings with the Kremlin was baseless.
The "FBI was properly concerned about Russia's efforts to influence the presidential election," she tweeted.
"Trump had other concerning ties to Russians: real estate deals, Miss Universe Pageant, loans from Russian lenders, Trump Tower Moscow project," McQuade continued. "Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort had lobbied for pro-Russian oligarchs. Trump campaign members also had ties to Russia. Mike Flynn was paid $45,000 by Russia Today in 2015 for a speech he gave at a banquet where he sat next to Putin. He later lied to FBI about his calls with the Russian ambassador about sanctions during the transition."
"Failing to investigate these ties would have been a breach of duty by FBI," McQuade asserted. "The Durham Report provides fuel for the false claim that the Russia probe was a hoax. Don't fall for it."
1 Durham Report is in. After four years, review of 1 million documents, 490 interviews, his conclusion is that FBI should have opened a preliminary investigation (PI) instead of a full investigation (FI) in 2016. THREAD
— Barb McQuade (@BarbMcQuade) May 16, 2023
