Criminal probe of Obama officials 'set to release declassified docs'

Attorney General William Barr is set to publicly release declassified documents related to a criminal investigation of the role of senior Obama Justice Department and FBI officials in the launching of the Trump-Russia collusion probe, according to a former U.S. Attorney.

Joseph diGenova said in a radio interview with WMAL in Washington that John Durham, the U.S. attorney appointed by Barr, "is progressing very, very quickly in his criminal investigation."

"This is not a 'view' of what went on. This is a criminal investigation of senior DOJ and FBI officials from the Obama administration and intelligence people including John Brennan," DiGenova told Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese, the co-hosts of "Mornings on the Mall" on Monday.

"This is a federal grand jury."

"This is not an IG audit," DiGenova emphasized. "This is not some Congressional Research Service look at history. This is a criminal investigation of a bunch of people who tried to seditiously overthrow the president."

He said the public release of declassified documents will begin this week.

"The attorney general, as I understand it, is in the process of getting it ready to come out," said DiGenova.

Some of the documents will be material requested by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee.

When Republicans were in the majority, Nunes, as chairman of the committee, led an investigation of the origins of the Russia probe. His team found evidence Obama officials used the Hillary Clinton-funded dossier of unverified claims against Trump to obtain warrants to spy on the Trump campaign.

Officials scrambling to 'correct their testimony'

In an interview last week with the Fox Business Network's Lou Dobbs, DiGenova explained Durham's criminal investigation has prompted FBI officials and others to ask Inspector General Michel Horowitz's team to re-interview them so they can "correct their testimony."

A report of Horowitz's IG review is expected to be released a short time after Labor Day, DiGenova said.

"People are worried – and they should be – because now it's beginning to become very clear that Durham is beginning to move forward with speed," said DiGenova in an interview in which he was accompanied by his wife, prominent Washington lawyer Victoria Toensing.

Significantly, Toensing said that both Durham and Horowitz already have interviewed Joseph Mifsud, the mysterious Maltese professor who is believed to have sparked the FBI investigation into the Trump campaign.

In the 448-page Mueller report, Mifsud is identified as the original source of the claim spread during the 2016 election campaign that Russia had obtained emails with dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, said after the Mueller hearings July 24 he believes the former special counsel declined to speak about matters related to the Obama administration's role in influencing the 2016 election because of the ongoing Durham and Horowitz investigations, the Washington Examiner reported.

The congressman told Fox News' Bret Baier that British ex-spy Christopher Steele's dossier, for example, was off-limits because Durham and Horowitz are looking into how it was used by the Obama Justice Department and FBI.

"Did they use a false dossier to surveil an American citizen and thereby influence the election? That was something that Bob Mueller wasn’t willing to address today, and I think John Durham and the folks at the Justice Department will be looking into that," said Ratcliffe, who is on the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees and has spoken to Horowitz.

The guy who started it all

During Mueller's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, as WND reported, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, zeroed in on Mifsud in his questioning of Mueller.

The congressman pointed out that the FBI opened its investigation after Australian diplomat Alexander Downer reported to the bureau that he was told by Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos that "the Russians have dirt on Hillary Clinton."

"What I'm wondering is, who told Papadopoulos?" the congressman asked Mueller. How did he find out?"

I can't get into the evidentiary findings," Mueller replied.

"Yes you can," Jordan shot back. "You wrote about it. You gave us the answer. On page 192 of the report you tell us who told him: Josef Mifsud."

Jordan described Mifsud as "the mysterious professor who lives in Rome and London, works and teaches at two universities."

"This is the guy who told Papadopoulos. This is the guy who starts it all," the Ohio Republican said.

"And when the FBI interviews him, he lies three times, and yet you don't charge him with a crime."

Jordan pointed out that Mueller charged several figures with making false statements, including one-time Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his associate, Rick Gates, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

"But the guy who puts the whole country through this saga, starts it all – for three years we've live through this now – he lies, and you guys don't charge him," Jordan said. "And I'm curious as to why."

Mueller replied: "Well, we can't get into it, and it's obvious, I think, that we can't get into charging decisions.

Jordan, noting the FBI interviewed Mifsud in February, asked Mueller if Mifsud also lied to the special counsel team.

"I can't get into that," Mueller said.

Asked further whether or not Mueller himself interviewed Mifsud and if Mifsud is Western intelligence or Russian intelligence, the former special counsel's answer was the same.

"A lot of things you can't get into," Jordan commented.