Durham probe: Trump calls allegations 'a far bigger crime than Watergate'
Fox News correspondent David Spunt has the latest on how Clinton allegedly tried to link Trump to Russia on 'Special Report.'
EXCLUSIVE: Former President Donald Trump, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on Tuesday, offered fresh reaction to the latest filings from Special Counsel John Durham, predicting the developments are "just the beginning" of what’s to come.
Trump was reacting to Durham’s Feb. 11 court filing in which he alleged that "Tech Executive-1" and his associates, including a lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign "exploited" internet traffic pertaining to a "particular healthcare provider," Trump Tower, Trump’s Central Park West apartment building and the Executive Office of the President of the United States in order to "establish ‘an inference’ and ‘narrative’" to then bring to federal government agencies tying Trump to Russia.
"It looks like this is just the beginning, because, if you read the filing and have any understanding of what took place, and I called this a long time ago, you’re going to see a lot of other things happening, having to do with what, really, just is a continuation of the crime of the century," Trump told Fox News. "This is such a big event, nobody’s seen anything like this."
Durham alleged in the filing that Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, who has been charged with making a false statement to a federal agent as part of the special counsel’s investigation, brought Trump-Russia allegations—which Durham said "relied, in part" on the "traffic" that had been "assembled" from the servers—to the FBI, and a second government agency, which has since been identified as the CIA.
Durham, in the section of the filing labeled "Factual Background," states that individuals involved were "mining" traffic "and other data for the purpose of gathering derogatory information about Donald Trump."
Wide angle front elevation of Trump tower on Fifth Avenue Manhattan NYC
Trump told Fox News that he "didn’t have any" insight into the allegations included in Durham’s Feb. 11 filing until it was made public.
"Who would think a thing like this is even possible?" Trump said. "Durham is also coming up with things far bigger than anybody thought possible—Nobody ever thought a thing like this would be even discussed, let alone an act like this committed."
Trump added: "This is treason at the highest level."
The only individual referenced in Durham's Feb. 11 filing that has been charged as part of the investigation is Sussmann, who has pleaded not guilty.
Meanwhile, Trump explained that "people were suspicious that something was going on" during the campaign.
"You have experts that do this, but they used experts to do it, and to think they could even think about doing that is not believable and, think—if they do it, foreign countries can do it," Trump said, referring to the mining of data from servers. "What kind of a security system do we have?"
DURHAM PROBE: 'TECH EXECUTIVE-1' SAYS ALLEGATIONS TYING TRUMP TO RUSSIA SHARED WITH CIA
Trump went on to say the arrangement outlined in the filing was a "stage 1 crime."
"This is as bad as it gets," Trump said.
Late Monday, lawyers for Sussmann, who has pleaded not guilty, demanded that the court "strike" the "factual background" section of Durham’s filing, arguing it will "taint" the jury pool ahead of his trial.
"Total nonsense," Trump told Fox News. "They got caught and they’re trying to figure out what to say to dim it a little bit."
Durham’s indictment against Sussmann, says he told then-FBI General Counsel James Baker in September 2016, less than two months before the 2016 presidential election, that he was not doing work "for any client" when he requested and held a meeting in which he presented "purported data and 'white papers' that allegedly demonstrated a covert communications channel" between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank, which has ties to the Kremlin.
Photo of John Durham and Michael Sussmann. Sussman pic: Perkins Coie (Perkins Coie)
Meanwhile, Trump said, "based on what everyone is seeing, Durham may go down as a great hero in this country that will be talked about for years."
"I gained great respect for John Durham, that he was able to do this, and that he would put it out, because other people knew it and it wasn’t coming out—it just wasn’t coming out," Trump said. "And to think, we went through a whole Mueller scam, and nothing was said."
When asked if he thought Mueller, who investigated whether Trump and his presidential campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election for more than two years, knew about the allegations against individuals tied to the Clinton campaign, Trump said the investigation was focused on "one side."
"They weren’t going after it, certainly," Trump said. "They were only going after the one side—they weren’t going after the other."
Trump added that Mueller’s team "definitely had blinders on."
"It’s sad," Trump said.
Mueller’s investigation concluded in 2019 and yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 election.
FILE - In this May 29, 2019, file photo, special counsel Robert Mueller speaks at the Department of Justice Wednesday, in Washington, about the Russia investigation. The debate over special counsel Robert Mueller's report is getting new life with word that Mueller has agreed to testify publicly before two House committees. Democrats say Mueller will appear July 17 in back-to-back sessions of the Judiciary and Intelligence committees. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Meanwhile, Trump criticized the press coverage of Durham's filing.
"Another crime is being committed—and that's the crime of the media," Trump said. "The media is absolutely not—they refuse to talk about it and yet it is 10 times bigger than Watergate."
He added: "The press is corrupt and they don’t like to cover it. They’re sort of being forced. It is such a big story, I don’t know that they can play the game much longer."
Over the weekend, after Fox News first reported on filing, Trump first likened Durham’s allegations to Watergate.
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"It is no different than Watergate, except a much more important location," Trump said. "It is the same theft—just modern day."
He added: "It is not even believable."
At this point, Durham has indicted three people as part of his investigation: Sussmann in September 2021, Igor Danchenko on Nov. 4, 2021 and Kevin Clinesmith in August 2020.
Danchenko was charged with making a false statement and is accused of lying to the FBI about the source of information that he provided to Christopher Steele for the anti-Trump dossier.
Kevin Clinesmith was also charged with making a false statement. Clinesmith had been referred for potential prosecution by the Justice Department's inspector general's office, which conducted its own review of the Russia investigation.
Specifically, the inspector general accused Clinesmith, though not by name, of altering an email about Page to say that he was "not a source" for another government agency. Page has said he was a source for the CIA. The DOJ relied on that assertion as it submitted a third and final renewal application in 2017 to eavesdrop on Trump campaign aide Carter Page under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
A source familiar with the probe told Fox News that Durham's investigation has "accelerated," and more people are "cooperating" and coming before the federal grand jury than has previously been reported.
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The source told Fox News Monday that Durham has run his investigation "very professionally," and, unlike Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, his activities, and witness information and cooperation status are rarely, if ever, leaked.
"Durham does this right and keeps it a secret," the source said, adding that there has been "much more activity" in Durham’s investigation "than has been visible to the public."
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