America's 3 top national security leaders have reportedly joined Barr's Russia probe investigation

William Barr.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

There's reportedly a reason CIA Director Gina Haspel has been hanging around the Justice Department recently.

Haspel, along with FBI Director Chris Wray and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, have joined Attorney General William Barr's investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation, a source tells CNN. The nation's top national security leaders are reportedly "working closely" with Barr to figure out why the FBI launched a probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election in the first place, CNN writes.

The report comes after Barr tasked John H. Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, with reviewing the origins of the Russia investigation, The New York Times reported Monday night. That marked the third known investigation into the FBI's 2016 counterintelligence probe, with the Times also reporting that Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz and John W. Huber, the U.S. attorney in Utah, have both been reviewing parts of the inquiry.

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Barr mentioned he'd launch an investigation into the origins of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe a congressional testimony last month, saying he believed "spying did occur" as the FBI looked into Trump's 2016 campaign. Both House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Wray disputed Barr's allegation.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.