‘Bull’ Durham: New Russiagate prober has been haunting the FBI for months

By Eric Felten

John Durham, the prosecutor tapped by Attorney General William Barr to investigate how Trump-Russia allegations emerged and spread within federal law enforcement, has already been looking into whether the FBIâ€™s former top lawyer, James Baker, illegally leaked to reporters.

In fact, the U.S. attorney from Connecticut appears to have begun that work more than seven months ago, to judge from an underreported transcript of an October congressional interview with Baker. The Baker interview, at which Durham was not present, suggests that the prosecutor nevertheless has some people very worried.

Baker testified about the Trump-Russia affair on Oct. 3 before the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

In that session, the former FBI general counsel admitted that versions and variations of Christopher Steeleâ€™s dossier were being turned in to the bureau from the strangest of places. Baker said he had even heard about it from David Corn, Washington bureau chief of left-leaning Mother Jones, who wrote one of the first pieces on the dossier, in October 2016. But in one of those company-town connections that happen frequently in Washington, Baker said he was not just a contact or source for Corn; they were also old pals.

â€œTell me about your relationship with David Corn,â€ said Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan.

â€œDavid is a friend of mine,â€ Baker said.

â€œTell me about that. A close friend? Long-time friend?â€

â€œLong-time friend.â€

Jordan asked, â€œWhen did you first meet Mr. Corn?â€

â€œI don’t specifically remember,â€ Baker testified. â€œA long time ago, though.â€

â€œYears ago? â€œ

â€œYears and years and years ago, yeah,â€ Baker allowed. â€œOur kids carpooled together. We carpooled with them when our kids were little.â€

So one of the most divisive scandals in Washington history was facilitated by an unexpected friendship, an odd couple brought together by a shared interest in getting their kids dropped off at school.

The congressman from Ohio wanted to know more about the Baker-Corn relationship: â€œPrior to the election of â€“ Presidential election of 2016,â€ Jordan asked, â€œhow many times did you talk with David Corn in the weeks and months prior to election day?â€

â€œI don’t remember,â€ Baker said, providing an answer that suggests it was more than a few.

â€œIs it fair to say you didâ€ talk with Corn, Jordan asked?

â€œYes, I did, but I just don’t remember how many [times].â€



