Attorney General William Barr appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham on Monday to dig into the origins of the Russian collusion probe.

The New York Times and Associated Press both reported Monday evening that Barr had tapped Durham to “determine if intelligence collection involving the Trump campaign was ‘lawful and appropriate.'”

NEW: Barr has asked the US attorney in CT, John Durham, to examine the origins of the Russia investigation. Sure to please Trump but not current and former FBI officials who have defended their handling of investigation. https://t.co/Bvqvm2A7cn @adamgoldmanNYT @charlie_savage — Michael S. Schmidt (@nytmike) May 14, 2019

BREAKING: AP source: Barr appoints US attorney to examine Russia probe origins, determine if intelligence collection was lawful. https://t.co/zRSww6kjiM — The Associated Press (@AP) May 14, 2019

As several sources noted, Durham had a history of investigating the investigators. (RELATED: Barr: Trump Was Falsely Accused Of Being A Russian Agent)

BREAKING: The Attorney General appoints a CT attorney with history of investigating officials to get to the bottom of why the FBI was spying on the Trump campaign, per AP report. This could expose some pretty bad stuff…. Stay tuned. — Trish Regan (@trish_regan) May 14, 2019

The Associated Press noted that “Durham has previously investigated law enforcement corruption, the destruction of CIA videotapes and the Boston FBI office’s relationship with mobsters.”

AG Barr made a great choice in choosing US Attorney Durham. Per the @nytimes: “Attorney General Janet Reno asked Mr. Durham in 1999 to investigate the F.B.I.’s handling of a notorious informant: the organized crime leader James (Whitey) Bulger.” https://t.co/WXMhCj2elF — Elliott Hamilton (@ElliottRHams) May 14, 2019

Durham, who currently serves as the chief federal prosecutor for the state of Connecticut, will continue in that position, in addition to his role in the new investigation.

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