Members of Congress were stunned this week after what they heard from a senior FBI official. During a hearing, Jill Murphy, the FBI’s deputy assistant director of counterintelligence, revealed that she has not yet read or been briefed on the special counsel John Durham’s report. Murphy cited lack of time as the reason but intends to read the report in due course. The report had concluded a long-running investigation and raised concerns about the FBI’s investigation into possible links between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Republican members of Congress were reportedly surprised by her response.
After learning that Murphy had not read the report, Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), who presides over the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, stated that he was “speechless.”
“I would highly recommend reading that because we spent four years discussing that — there was uncorroborated evidence. The Durham report specifically outlines the outcome of that. It’s very disappointing to hear this,” he said.
During the hearing that mainly discussed Chinese Communist Party “aggression,” some members of the subcommittee used the opportunity to bring up Durham’s report. When Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) questioned Murphy, she admitted that she hadn’t received any briefings on the report. Bishop further mentioned that the report was “devastating” to the FBI and should be a matter of “grave concern” for Murphy considering her position.
“Sir, if you’d like a brief on the Durham report from the Counterintelligence Division, I’m happy to take that back,” Murphy said upon being pressed about why she has not urgently dug into the special counsel’s findings.
“Wow, that sounds almost contemptuous,” Bishop shot back, adding later: “I’m just without words, that the FBI is unconcerned.”
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) criticized his Republican colleagues for being strongly critical of the FBI, and even discussing the possibility of defunding the agency. He also expressed a negative opinion of the Durham inquiry.
“The problem they have is that the FBI is doing its job in investigating their dear leader Donald Trump,” Goldman said. “And if you can undermine the investigator, if you can undermine independent journalists doing investigative reporting, then you can undermine our entire system of democracy.”
The FBI's Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence tells @HomelandGOP:
"I have not read the Durham report." pic.twitter.com/3EOlLHVpPG
— Rep. August Pfluger (@RepPfluger) May 23, 2023
.@RepDanBishop: "The Durham Report "has been out since the 12th of this month…Mr. Goldman's obviously been briefed on it…! Why is that not a matter of such import that you would want urgently to understand what the special counsel concluded…?
FBI Assistant Director of… pic.twitter.com/nNcEpuEnlt
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 23, 2023