The US special counsel investigating the origins of the FBI’s probe into the 2016 presidential election now has the authority to use classified information indefinitely in his investigation, a procedural step following his earlier appointment, according to a memorandum issued by US President Donald Trump.
Outgoing US Attorney General William Barr named US attorney John Durham as a special counsel in the investigation into the origins of the FBI’s probe of the 2016 election.
Durham was already leading an investigation, but the appointment makes it more difficult for the incoming US attorney general to close it.
The FBI’s probe morphed into former US special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of possible Trump-Russia cooperation.
The ongoing Durham investigation followed Trump’s repeated calls to “investigate the investigators.”
In May last year, Trump directed US intelligence officials to assist in that review and gave the attorney general permission to declassify or downgrade information or intelligence that relates to his review.
Trump’s memo came on Tuesday as he continues to propel his claims that the Russia investigation that shadowed his presidency was a “witch hunt.”
It is the latest example of efforts by Trump officials to use the final days of his administration to essentially box US president-elect Joe Biden in by enacting new rules, regulations and orders designed to cement Trump’s legacy.
Barr earlier told reporters that he was naming Durham as special counsel in what turned out to be one of his final moves as attorney general. He resigned last week and his deputy Jeffrey Rosen is taking over today.
The move added a wrinkle for whomever Biden nominates as attorney general, especially because Democrats have dismissed Durham’s probe.
Also on Tuesday, Trump appointed Ezra Cohen, of the District of Columbia, to chair the US Public Interest Declassification Board. Cohen, a Trump loyalist, is acting undersecretary of defense for intelligence.
CHAGOS ISLANDS: Recently elected Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam told lawmakers that the contents of negotiations are ‘unknown’ to the government Mauritius’ new prime minister ordered an independent review of a deal with the UK involving a strategically important US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, placing the agreement under fresh scrutiny. Under a pact signed last month, the UK ceded sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius, while retaining control of Diego Garcia — the island where the base is situated. The deal was signed by then-Mauritian prime minister Pravind Jugnauth and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Oct. 3 — a month before elections in Mauritius in which Navin Ramgoolam became premier. “I have asked for an independent review of the
France on Friday showed off to the world the gleaming restored interior of Notre-Dame cathedral, a week before the 850-year-old medieval edifice reopens following painstaking restoration after the devastating 2019 fire. French President Emmanuel Macron conducted an inspection of the restoration, broadcast live on television, saying workers had done the “impossible” by healing a “national wound” after the fire on April 19, 2019. While every effort has been made to remain faithful to the original look of the cathedral, an international team of designers and architects have created a luminous space that has an immediate impact on the visitor. The floor shimmers and
THIRD IN A ROW? An expert said if the report of a probe into the defense official is true, people would naturally ask if it would erode morale in the military Chinese Minister of National Defense Dong Jun (董軍) has been placed under investigation for corruption, a report said yesterday, the latest official implicated in a crackdown on graft in the country’s military. Citing current and former US officials familiar with the situation, British newspaper the Financial Times said that the investigation into Dong was part of a broader probe into military corruption. Neither the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Chinese embassy in Washington replied to a request for confirmation yesterday. If confirmed, Dong would be the third Chinese defense minister in a row to fall under investigation for corruption. A former navy
‘VIOLATIONS OF DISCIPLINE’: Miao Hua has come up through the political department in the military and he was already fairly senior before Xi Jinping came to power in 2012 A member of China’s powerful Central Military Commission has been suspended and put under investigation, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday. Miao Hua (苗華) was director of the political work department on the commission, which oversees the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the world’s largest standing military. He was one of five members of the commission in addition to its leader, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Ministry spokesman Colonel Wu Qian (吳謙) said Miao is under investigation for “serious violations of discipline,” which usually alludes to corruption. It is the third recent major shakeup for China’s defense establishment. China in June
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