FIRST ON FOX: Special Counsel John Durham found that the Department of Justice and FBI "failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law" when it launched the Trump-Russia investigation.
Fox News Digital obtained Durham’s report Monday afternoon after his years-long investigation into the origins of the FBI’s original investigation, known as "Crossfire Hurricane." That investigation looked into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Durham was set to release his report Monday afternoon – the report spans more than 300 pages.
"Based on the review of Crossfire Hurricane and related intelligence activities, we conclude that the Department and the FBI failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law in connection with certain events and activities described in this report," the report said.
Durham added that his investigation also revealed that "senior FBI personnel displayed a serious lack of analytical rigor towards the information that they received, especially information received from politically-affiliated persons and entities."
"This information in part triggered and sustained Crossfire Hurricane and contributed to the subsequent need for Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation," the report states. "In particular, there was significant reliance on investigative leads provided or funded (directly or indirectly) by Trump's political opponents."
"The Department did not adequately examine or question these materials and the motivations of those providing them, even when at about the same time the Director the FBI and others learned of significant and potentially contrary intelligence," the report states.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller completed his investigation in April 2019, which yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the 2016 election.
Special Counsel John Durham was appointed in 2019 after the release of the Mueller report to probe the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation. ((Photo by Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images))
Durham indicted three people as part of his investigation: former Clinton attorney Michael Sussmann in September 2021, Igor Danchenko in November 2021 and Kevin Clinesmith in August 2020.
Sussmann and Danchenko were found to be not guilty. Clinesmith pleaded guilty and served community service time.
The report states that Clinesmith "committed a criminal offense by fabricating language in an email that was material to the FBI obtaining a FISA surveillance order."
"In other instances, FBI personnel working on that same FISA application displayed, at best, a cavalier attitude towards accuracy and completeness," it says.
"FBI personnel also repeatedly disregarded important requirements when they continued to seek renewals of that FISA surveillance while acknowledging – both then and in hindsight – that they did not genuinely believe there was probable cause to believe that the target was knowingly engaged in clandestine intelligence activities on behalf of a foreign power, or knowingly helping another person in such activities," the report continued. "And certain personnel disregarded significant exculpatory information that should have prompted investigative restraint and re-examination."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.