John Durham
John Durham | |
|---|---|
| Special Counsel for the United States Department of Justice | |
| In office October 19, 2020 – May 15, 2023 | |
| Appointed by | William Barr |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut | |
| In office October 28, 2017 – February 28, 2021 Acting until February 22, 2018 | |
| President | Donald Trump Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Deirdre M. Daly |
| Succeeded by | Leonard C. Boyle (acting) |
| Acting January 20, 1997 – June 30, 1998 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Christopher F. Droney |
| Succeeded by | Stephen C. Robinson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Henry Durham March 16, 1950 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Education | Colgate University (BA) University of Connecticut (JD) |
| Awards | Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service |
John Henry Durham (born March 16, 1950) is an American lawyer who served as the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut from 2018 to 2021. He previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Connecticut for 35 years, where he led investigations into public corruption, organized crime, and FBI misconduct.
Durham is known for several high-profile investigations. In the 1990s and 2000s, he investigated corrupt FBI agents who had protected Boston mobster Whitey Bulger and other organized crime figures, leading to the conviction of retired FBI agent John Connolly. In 2008, he was appointed special prosecutor to investigate the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes, ultimately declining to file charges. In 2014, he successfully prosecuted former Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland on federal corruption charges.
In April 2019, Attorney General William Barr assigned Durham to review the origins of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. In October 2020, Barr appointed him special counsel, allowing the Durham special counsel investigation to continue after the Trump administration ended.
After three and a half years, Durham's investigation resulted in one conviction: FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith pleaded guilty to altering an email used in a FISA renewal application to surveil former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and was sentenced to probation. Two other defendants, lawyer Michael Sussmann and analyst Igor Danchenko, were acquitted at trial.
Durham's May 2023 final report concluded the FBI opened a full investigation based on "raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence" when only a preliminary investigation was warranted, and that the bureau applied a different standard when evaluating concerns about the Clinton campaign.