Multiple reports have indicated that the Durham investigation has now turned into a criminal investigation with U.S. Attorney John Durham being very interested in talking with both the former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and the former CIA Director John Brennan.

Reports have suggested that the investigation changed and expanded in nature when Attorney General William Barr and John Durham discovered new evidence during interviews in Rome with Italian intelligence. Sources indicated to Fox that Barr and Durham were played a taped deposition made by Joseph Mifsud, the professor who allegedly told ex-Trump aide George Papadopoulos that the Russians had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton. The Italian prime minister confirmed to his parliament that Barr had spoken to Italian intelligence on two separate occasions. George Papadopoulos has stated he believes that he was set-up with the contact with Mifsud. That contact was what allegedly set off the investigation into the Trump team.

Now reports are also indicating that we may know more about what actually triggered the change in the investigation very soon.

From Fox News:

One source added that DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s upcoming report on alleged FBI surveillance abuses against the Trump campaign will shed light on why Durham’s probe has become a criminal inquiry. Horowitz announced on Thursday his report would be available to the public soon, with “few” redactions.

That sounds like good news since the report is supposed to come out very soon.

But it’s also helpful because it may be an indication that the report didn’t just look at bias and finish there, that it looked and and will have consequential findings as to criminal acts behind what happened. The report is supposedly massive. And with few redactions, it sounds like they’re laying it all out there.

While Horowitz can indicate that crimes may have occurred, he’s pursuing internal Department of Justice rule breaking, he doesn’t have the power to prosecute criminal actions. But Durham does.

In addition to the things they may have found in Rome, there are multiple questions and changing stories involving the start of the investigation as well as regarding possible FISA abuse. One problem is not telling the FISA court the full story of the dossier, the connection of Hillary Clinton and the DNC. If they misrepresented that and told the court any falsehoods, that could spell big trouble.

The reaction of the media and Democrats indicates they all know that Durham and Barr are onto something, as they are wildly spinning the criminal investigation as President Donald Trump abusing his power.

Trump&AG Barr are politically weaponizing DOJ—threatening a return to it’s darkest days. Targeting law enforcers as enemies—simply because they have the spine to stand up to corrupt power—is deeply dangerous, indeed chilling. This line must not be crossed. https://t.co/nt9TJZsX9I — Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) October 25, 2019

CNN legal analyst:

It was bad enough Trump and Barr were wasting resources on this. But now they are fully weaponizing DOJ for political purposes. Attorneys General *can* be impeached. https://t.co/Pm2sJaXjRw — Elie Honig (@eliehonig) October 25, 2019

Looks like the talking points went out.

Sounds like panic. And maybe, finally, people will be held to account.

HT: Twitchy