The White House has released declassified FBI documents from 2017, indicating a secret investigation into Donald Trump concerning potential cooperation with Russia.
Donald Trump / © Associated Press
The White House has published FBI archival materials regarding the investigation against Donald Trump, which commenced in May 2017. At that time, intelligence agencies were examining the possibility that the American leader was acting in the interests of the Kremlin. The catalyst for this review was Trump’s highly publicized dismissal of FBI Director James Comey.
This information is available on the White House website.
Internal FBI memos reveal that the investigation, codenamed Oxferd Comma, was initiated immediately following Comey’s dismissal on May 9, 2017. The basis for the investigation was an allegation which, as the released documents show, was largely dismissed by the bureau’s own agents.
“The FBI is opening a full investigation based on specific factual information that reasonably indicates that President Donald J. Trump may, consciously or unconsciously, be involved in activities for the benefit of, or on behalf of, the government of the Russian Federation, which may constitute a violation of U.S. federal criminal law or pose a threat to the national security of the United States,” reads an email regarding the opening of the investigation dated May 16, 2017.
It is noted that the investigation’s objective was to determine whether the U.S. President was under the direction or control of the Russian Federation, or if he had coordinated activities with it in a manner that posed a threat to the national security of the United States of America.
A memorandum prepared by the FBI’s counterintelligence division clearly pointed to concerns about Russian influence and obstruction of justice, including Comey’s dismissal, partly due to Trump’s public explanations for this decision.
The FBI classified this investigation as a “sensitive investigative matter” and stated it was the “least intrusive method to address the serious national security risk posed by the described activity.”
It is mentioned that the investigation was launched despite law enforcement being unable to confirm any collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.
A subsequent investigation by Special Counsel John Durham, released by the U.S. Department of Justice under the Biden administration in 2023, concluded that there were no grounds for the FBI to even initiate the initial “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation into alleged Trump-Russia collusion.
The case was closed on April 9, 2019, with law enforcement finding no evidence of ties to the Russian Federation. Later documents indicated that Comey was dismissed for valid reasons, as the Department of Justice believed he mishandled the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. It is noted that this entire investigation might have been instigated by Clinton, with the aim of “discrediting” the reputation of the U.S. President.
Recall, U.S. President Donald Trump’s company began selling paid access to the U.S. President’s posts on the social network Truth Social. The new service is aimed at large investment firms and traders.
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