The US Justice Department has opened a criminal case based on an administrative investigation into the origins of an investigation into Russian interference, New York Times and Reuters reported referring to several sources.

According to the New York Times, this will allow prosecutor John Durham, who runs the case, to issue subpoenas for documents and testimonies, determine the composition of the grand jury and make criminal charges, Voice of America said.

The transfer of a case from an administrative plane to a criminal one sets an unusual precedent: the Justice Ministry is investigating a criminal case against its own department.

NYT does not know what potential crimes the Prosecutor Durham is investigating in this case, as well as the possible motives that guided the Justice Department in opening a criminal case.

According to Reuters, Attorney General William Barr opened an administrative investigation earlier this year to investigate President Donald Trump's complaints that his campaign headquarters had been unlawfully subject to an investigation by U.S. intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies during the 2016 election.

Democrats and a number of former law enforcement officials believe that Barr uses the Justice Ministry to confirm unwarranted conspiracy theories that could benefit the president and undermine confidence in the results of a Russian investigation conducted by special prosecutor Robert Mueller.

As part of the administrative investigation, Barr asked his colleagues in Australia and the UK for help. The Prosecutor General also visited Italy twice, in August and September, meeting with special services agents in Rome to obtain additional information about the defendants in Mueller’s investigation.