Special counsel to tell lawmakers FBI pushed false narrative on Trump in 2016

June 19 (UPI) -- John Durham will testify before two House committees later this week a month after authoring a special counsel report on the FBI's investigation into former President Donald Trump's ties with Russia.

Durham, who was appointed special counsel by Trump-appointed Attorney General William Barr, was critical of the FBI's handling of an investigation into the former president. In his report on the "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation, Durham accused the FBI of acting on confirmation bias.

On Tuesday, Durham will testify in a closed hearing with the House Intelligence Committee starting at 3 p.m. EDT. On Wednesday, he will testify before the House Judiciary Committee at 9 a.m. That hearing will be livestreamed.

The Durham report followed a four-year investigation into allegations that Trump had colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election. The FBI did not find sufficient evidence to bring charges against the former president.

"There was a complete lack of information from the Intelligence Community that corroborated the hypothesis upon which the Crossfire Hurricane investigation was predicated," Durham wrote in the report.

"In short, it is the office's assessment that the FBI discounted or willfully ignored material information that did not support the narrative of a collusive relationship between Trump and Russia."

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said he would like to discuss measures to "restore integrity" in the FBI. Biggs is a member of the Judiciary committee.

"I look forward to unpacking his report on how the FBI unjustly targeted President Trump and conservatives and also discussing what we can do to restore integrity in the agency," Biggs tweeted Monday.