US Attorney General William Barr launches probe into FBI investigation of Russia’s election meddling
- Donald Trump says he did not ask attorney general to open inquiry, but is ‘so proud’ that Barr is looking into matter
- Move comes a month after Barr told members of Congress he believed ‘spying did occur’ on 2016 Trump campaign
US Attorney General William Barr is stepping up a probe into the origins of the FBI’s Russia investigation, naming a US attorney to oversee the inquiry and working with intelligence chiefs to see how surveillance was conducted.
Barr tapped John Durham, the US attorney in Connecticut, to lead the inquiry, but remains directly involved in the probe, which he initiated about three weeks ago, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The source could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The investigation is examining intelligence and surveillance used during the 2016 presidential campaign into possible ties between Russia’s election interference and associates of Donald Trump, a cloud that shadowed Trump’s presidency for nearly two years.
With the appointment, Barr is addressing a rallying cry of US President Donald Trump and his supporters, who have accused the Justice Department and FBI of unlawfully spying on his campaign.