Special counsel John Durham said Wednesday that his team looked into a tip from Italian officials detailing suspicious financial dealings related to former President Donald Trump but did not uncover wrongdoing.
Mr. Durham and then-Attorney General William P. Barr traveled to Italy in 2019 as part of their probe into the FBI’s decision to open an investigation into alleged ties between Russia and Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign.
The New York Times reported in January that during the trip, Mr. Barr and Mr. Durham received a tip from Italian officials about suspicious financial dealings related to Mr. Trump.
Mr. Durham told lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee that he looked into the allegation, including the issuance of grand jury subpoenas, but found the tip to be unfounded.
“Investigative steps were taken. Grand jury subpoenas were issued and it came to nothing,” he said in congressional testimony.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, California Democrat, pressed Mr. Durham about his efforts, but he refused to disclose more details about the investigation.
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The New York Times report says Italian officials offered Mr. Durham a “potentially explosive tip” linking Mr. Trump to certain suspected financial crimes.
Mr. Barr decided the tip was too serious and credible to ignore, according to the Times, and tasked Mr. Durham with investigating the matter himself. The attorney general even gave Mr. Durham criminal prosecution powers for the first time, even though the Trump tip did not fall within his assignment to scrutinize the origins of the Russia probe.
Charges were never filed in the investigation.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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