BREAKING NEWS (CNN): Multiple Witnesses in the DOJ Probe of the Origins of the Russia Investigation Say the Probe Will Find *No Errors* That Undermine the Legitimacy of the Investigation
PS/ I've updated this post to clarify a) what the witnesses are saying, b) clarify that this is the Horowitz (DOJ IG) probe informed in part by Barr's concerns about FISA apps but apparently *separate* from Durham's probe. But the GOP had *very* high hopes for this investigation.
PS2/ The Durham probe is a criminal probe, not an IG probe, but if the IG finds no misconduct undermining the Russia probe it's hard to see how Durham makes a *contrary* finding. That is, he could theoretically find crimes *without* undermining the legitimacy of the Russia probe.
PS3/ Hence my initial response to this breaking news: WOMP WOMP. The GOP expected Horowitz to be Trump's savior, but reports from witnesses are that, presumably based on the questions they've faced, they don't think Horowitz has found anything that delegitimizes the Russia probe.
PS4/ It would be truly extraordinary, indeed nearly unthinkable, for Durham to later *contradict* the *DOJ IG* (!) on the very question Horowitz was clearly tasked with considering: did FBI misconduct (if there was any) delegitimize the Russia probe? So this'd be a big GOP whiff.
PS5/ Republicans have dug themselves a deep rhetorical hole here: if Horowitz indeed found nothing that delegitimizes the Russia probe, any crimes Durham manufactures—sorry, "finds"—would be the sort of "process crimes" the GOP claims don't matter and don't implicate *substance*.
