The timing behind U.S. Attorney John Durham's comments expressing doubt about Justice Department watchdog Michael Horowitz's report on the FBI's investigation into President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign is questionable, Sen. Angus King said Tuesday.
"I've never heard of a U.S. attorney coming out in the middle of an investigation and making an announcement like that," the Maine Independent told MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
"That was what [James] Comey was criticized heavily for, you know, two years ago. There was no reason to make that statement. I would love to know or see if there were communications between [Attorney General] Bill Barr and Mr. Durham yesterday to generate that comment. I don't know where that's going."
Durham has a good reputation, said King, but he questions the timing of his comments.
"To have it come out yesterday it was obviously intended to, as you say in the news business, step on the story of the IG report, is really concerning," said King. "It suggests political manipulation of the Justice Department and the justice system. It undermines confidence. There is no excuse for it. I've been around law for 50 years, and I've never seen anything exactly like that."
King also on Tuesday said Horowitz's criticisms about the methods the FBI used in obtaining Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants in its investigation into the 2016 presidential election were "well taken and important," but the FBI would have committed "prosecutorial malpractice" had it ignored information it had gotten.
"The report was very, very clear that there was no political bias, it wasn't a witch hunt," King said, adding that he thinks FBI Director Christopher Wray had "exactly the right response" when he said the report revealed there was no bias, but outlined ways the FBI's methods need to change.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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