History will judge you, but — more importantly — your family will judge you.
Special Counsel John Durham relayed that message on the House floor Wednesday.
Durham was appointed by former Attorney General William Barr to review the origins of the investigation into ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign. Having recently completed his report, Durham testified Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee.
As Trump faces a 37-count federal indictment and the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence if convicted, some members of the House have drawn on Durham’s report to argue that federal law enforcement is tainted by political bias.
Republicans who control the House say they’re still angry about the 2016 campaign probe, known as “Crossfire Hurricane,” and intend to push new curbs on the FBI in exchange for renewing surveillance powers known as Section 702 that U.S. intelligence considers critical and that expire at the end of this year.
Many Democrats also want new rules on what access the FBI has to search foreign surveillance data for information about U.S. citizens and companies… but some Democrats have reached bizarre conclusions about political motivations at the FBI.
Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., accused Durham of weaponizing the FBI to hurt Democrats, and Cohen warned Durham about damaging his reputation.
“Your report, Mr. Donald Trump Jr. called it a nothing-burger. You got no convictions. You got nothing. It was all set up to hurt the Mueller report, which was correct and was redacted — to hurt Biden’s [sic] and to help Trump, and you were a part of it,” Cohen said.
“You had a good reputation. That’s why the two Democrats supported you, but the longer you hold onto Mr. Barr and the report that Mr. Barr gave you at special counsel, your reputation will be damaged, as everybody’s reputation who gets involved with Donald Trump is damaged. He’s damaged goods. There’s no good dealing with him, because you will end up on the bottom of a pyre.”
Cohen sits on the Judiciary Committee, and he chairs the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
The Durham report has led to one conviction, a guilty plea from one FBI employee. The report also led to two cases ending in acquittal at trial.
Durham took the high road with a blistering comeback.
“My concern about my reputation is with the people who I respect, my family, and my Lord,” Durham said. “And I’m perfectly comfortable with my reputation with them, sir.”
Some representatives started clapping after Durham’s quip.
Take a look —
Special Counsel John Durham gives a PERFECT response to an angry tirade by Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen:
"My concern about my reputation is with the people who I respect and my family and my Lord, and I'm perfectly comfortable with my reputation with them, sir." pic.twitter.com/Cp7XBBQuJp
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 21, 2023
Durham has concluded that the FBI acted too hastily and without sufficient justification to launch a full investigation and asserted the bureau showed more caution on allegations that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton mishandled classified information on her private email server.
Plus, Durham said the FBI cited the so-called Steele dossier before the primary U.S. surveillance court even after investigators failed to corroborate “a single substantive allegation” within it. The Clinton campaign funded the creation of the dossier and agreed last year with the Democratic National Committee to pay a $113,000 fine for misreporting campaign spending on research.
FBI Director Chris Wray has acknowledged errors in how the bureau handled the Trump-Russia probe. In a statement Tuesday, the bureau said it had “already implemented dozens of corrective actions, which have now been in place for some time.”
The Durham report “reinforces the importance of ensuring the FBI continues to do its work with the rigor, objectivity, and professionalism the American people deserve and rightly expect,” the statement said.
The Horn editorial team Associated Press contributed to this article.