Surprise resignation of federal prosecutor ups concerns Barr is leaning on Durham investigation

Nora Dannehy
(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

The Justice Department confirmed the Friday departure of Nora Dannehy, a top prosecutor working on U.S. Attorney John Durham's investigation into the origins of the FBI's Trump campaign–Russia investigation. Attorney General William Barr assigned Durham to lead his investigation of the investigation in 2019, and Durham persuaded Dannehy, a well-regarded career prosecutor who had worked with him for decades, to return to the Justice Department to act as his lead investigator.

Dannehy has not given any public reason for her early, unexpected departure from the ongoing investigation, but the Hartford Courant, which broke the news, reported that colleagues said she "has been concerned in recent weeks by what she believed was pressure from Barr ... to produce results before the election." President Trump and his allies have been raising expectations that Durham's investigations would lead to arrests of high-level FBI or DOJ officials, vindicating his "deep state" allegations before voters cast their ballots.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.