The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) review into the origins of the Russian collusion hoax probe has reportedly prompted some CIA analysts in the crosshairs of investigators to lawyer up.
NBC News made the revelation on Monday, adding that DOJ “has found something significant” and expanded the review.
The news outlet also found:
[Connecticut U.S. Attorney John] Durham has also requested to talk to CIA analysts involved in the intelligence assessment of Russia’s activities, prompting some of them to hire lawyers, according to three former CIA officials familiar with the matter. And there is tension between the CIA and the Justice Department over what classified documents Durham can examine, two people familiar with the matter said.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr has tapped Durham to conduct the investigation.
DOJ would not say whether the investigation has morphed into a criminal probe, NBC News acknowledged.
The U.S. attorney leading the review has hired more staff and expanded the timeframe under investigation, NBC News learned from a law enforcement official directly familiar with the matter.
Durham is now probing the Obama administration’s conduct before President Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, an unnamed official from the sitting administration told NBC News.
Under former President Obama, the FBI began its probe into alleged Russian election interference on behalf of Trump in July 2016. The Trump administration appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel in May 2017.
Mueller concluded that the Trump campaign did not coordinate with the Kremlin’s election interference effort, sounding the death knell for the Russian collusion hoax.