Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on Tuesday the Senate Judiciary Committee will “back off” its investigation into alleged Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act abuse.
Addressing reporters on Capitol Hill, Graham, the committee chairman, said he changed his mind after learning Attorney General William Barr had tasked U.S. Attorney John Durham from Connecticut with examining the origins of the federal Russia investigation.
“I’m glad you have a prosecutor not a politician,” he said. “I don’t expect you to take my word about what happened with the FISA warrant. I’m a Republican, and I want the president to do well. I don’t expect Republicans to take [House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry] Nadler’s word about anything wrongdoing toward Trump. We finally have somebody outside of politics.”
Graham said he wanted to give Durham “space” to do his job after it was reported Monday he was assigned by Barr.
“You’ve now got a prosecutor. I don’t want to get in their way, I don’t want to mess up his criminal investigation, and I don’t want to put people at risk, so I’m going to back off,” he said.
A source told Fox News that Durham has been reviewing the origin of the Russia investigation “for weeks.”
Durham’s effort is the third known federal investigation dedicated to unearthing information about the genesis of the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, which was later wrapped into special counsel Robert Mueller’s effort.
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz is investigating alleged FISA abuse and is expected to wrap up in late May or June. U.S. Attorney John Huber is also conducting an investigation into the federal Russia probe.
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