- The Washington Times - Thursday, February 2, 2023

The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday demanded the FBI and Justice Department provide more information about the investigations overseen by Charles McGonigal, who was arrested last month on criminal charges.

Mr. McGonigal, who worked on the bureau’s Trump-Russia probe, was indicted in New York and Washington on separate criminal charges. He is accused of violating U.S. sanctions on Russia by accepting payments from Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire who has been sanctioned by the United States.

Mr. McGonigal has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, Illinois Democrat, said lawmakers and the American public need to know if any of Mr. McGonigal’s investigations were compromised.

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray, Mr. Durbin demanded they provide more details about Mr. McGonigal’s role in different probes, including its Russian collusion probe.

“These allegations are extremely disturbing and raise concerns about the potential impact this misconduct may have had on the FBI’s counterintelligence matters and criminal investigations,” Mr. Durbin wrote. “As a [special agent-in-charge] for the New York Field Office, Mr. McGonigal oversaw many sensitive counterintelligence investigations, including investigations involving individuals he has now been accused of working to benefit.”

Mr. Durbin notes in his letter that Mr. Deripaska was a close associate of former Trump campaign Chairman Paul Manafort, who was convicted of financial fraud in 2018.

“Mr. McGonigal’s alleged misconduct may have impacted these highly sensitive matters, including whether he compromised sensitive sources, methods and analysis,” Mr. Durbin wrote. “Whether his alleged misconduct materially impacted the outcome of any investigations or further compromised our national security also remains unknown at this time.”

The letter requests that Mr. Wray and Mr. Garland respond to his request by Feb. 15.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide