The Hartford Courtant is reporting that Nora Dannehy, a top aide to John Durham, has “quietly resigned” from her role in the probe of the Russia investigation because she became concerned about pressure from AG Barr to produce results prior to the 2020 election:

Dannehy, a highly regarded prosecutor who has worked with or for Durham for decades, informed colleagues in the U.S. Attorney’s office in New Haven of her resignation from the Department of Justice by email Thursday evening. The short email was a brief farewell message and said nothing about political pressure, her work for Durham or what the Durham team has produced, according to people who received it…

Colleagues said Dannehy is not a supporter of President Donald J. Trump and has been concerned in recent weeks by what she believed was pressure from Barr – who appointed Durham – to produce results before the election. They said she has been considering resignation for weeks, conflicted by loyalty to Durham and concern about politics.

Durham is notoriously circumspect and neither he nor members of his team have revealed anything about the direction of their work. But Durham associates, none of whom have specific knowledge of the investigation, have said recently that it is their belief he is under pressure to produce something – perhaps some sort of report – before the presidential election in November.

The thinking of the associates, all Durham allies, is that the Russia investigation group will be disbanded and its work lost if Trump loses.

The sourcing of this is a bit odd. No one is quoted and the sources who spoke to the paper are described as Dannehy “colleagues” and “Durham allies.” Presumably those re two separate groups of people but it’s not completely clear. After all, Dannehy herself is a Durham ally. All of that to say that if these Durham allies are just anti-Trump friends of Dannehy then that would throw this in a different light.

Also, whoever these allies are, they are not wrong that if Biden wins the election the Durham investigation will not be around for long. Biden’s new AG (Elizabeth Warren?) would drop-kick this into permanent obscurity. Of course even if Biden were to win he would still have a few months of transition in which to put forward his results. But he really can’t pretend as if politics aren’t a factor in his timing of this because if Biden wins it could become the only factor.

Last month, we learned that Durham has at least one conviction in the bag. FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith decided to plead guilty to altering an email from the CIA which, if it hadn’t been altered, would have undercut the FISA application for surveillance of Carter Page. There have been hints that Durham has uncovered more but so far there appear to be no clear indications about who or what might be next on his agenda.