[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement in response to news that Nora Dannehy, one of the chief deputy prosecutors to U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham, has resigned from the Department of Justice amidst reports of concern about political pressure by Attorney General Bill Barr to produce a report on the origins of the Russia investigation before the election:
“This resignation waves a huge red flag about political pressure by Attorney General Barr. Nora Dannehy is a career prosecutor well-known to many of us in Connecticut for her professionalism and integrity. To put it bluntly, she would not have resigned without good reason. John Durham and Bill Barr should be on notice: issuing a report before the election would violate policies and norms well-established and long-standing at the Department of Justice. Mixing politics and prosecution is a hallmark of corruption. The damage done already to the Department of Justice by the Barr-Durham investigation will be deepened if a report is issued before the election, with enduring consequences to our entire justice system.”
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