Neal Katyal Slams Durham Probe as ‘An Absolute Disgrace,’ Says Special Counsel Is ‘Now Fully a Trump Lawyer’

Neal Katyal torched the investigation being led by Special Counsel John Durham, one day after the probe was handed a setback in the form of an acquittal.

Durham was tapped by former Attorney General Bill Barr in May 2019 to investigate the origins of the Department of Justice investigation into possible connections between Donald Trump and the Russian government. Republicans had high hopes for the probe, which they believed could uncover wrongdoing or even corruption at the FBI. However, Durham has now tried and failed to convict two defendants in two separate cases at trial.

Katyal, a former Acting Solicitor General of the United States, panned Durham’s efforts during an appearance on Wednesday’s Deadline: White House. He noted that before Durham was appointed, the DOJ’s inspector general conducted an inquiry into the department’s handling of the Trump-Russia case.

“So, Durham was appointed by Barr after there was already a full-blown investigation that concluded that there was no problem,” Katyal explained. “Durham then started saying, ‘Oh, no, I disagree with the IG’s investigation.’ And that’s led to where we are now. And it is an absolute disgrace. I mean, I can’t put this in stark enough terms. But if you’re a federal prosecutor, you really have to try to lose your criminal case.”

Katyal stated that more than 99% of federal indictments end in convictions.

“To lose two federal criminal trials, as John Durham did, that is almost unheard of,” he continued. “I’m not sure I’ve seen a bigger whiff by a federal prosecutor than what happened with John Durham. And as Darth Vader would say, I mean, Durham has made his transformation complete. He’s now fully a Trump lawyer. He has all the hallmarks – bogus claims that he’s advanced all the time in court, and serious court losses. And you know, it’s a real disgrace.”

Watch above via MSNBC.