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Trump Orders Declassification of FBI Files from Crossfire Hurricane Investigation
President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the FBI to declassify documents linked to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. This probe began in 2016 to assess whether members of the Trump campaign collaborated with Russia during the presidential election.
Following the signing of the order, Trump emphasized that the media now has access to previously withheld files. He cast skepticism on journalists’ willingness to investigate the material thoroughly.
Trump stated, “You probably won’t bother because you’re not going to like what you see. But this was total weaponization; it’s a disgrace. It should have never happened in this country. But now you’ll be able to see for yourselves. All declassified.”
The Origins of Crossfire Hurricane
The FBI initiated a counterintelligence investigation on July 31, 2016. The aim was to determine if Trump or his campaign associates were colluding with Russia to sway the 2016 election outcome. This investigation would later become known as Crossfire Hurricane.
Just days before the investigation commenced, former CIA Director John Brennan briefed then-President Barack Obama about an alleged proposal from one of Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy advisers. This proposal aimed to discredit Trump by instigating a scandal about Russian interference.
Introduction of the Steele Dossier
By January 2017, former FBI Director James Comey notified Trump about the Steele dossier. This document contained explosive yet unverified claims regarding Trump’s alleged ties to the Russian government. The dossier was a pivotal factor in the initiation of the investigation.
Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer, authored the dossier for Fusion GPS, which was funded by Clinton’s presidential campaign.
As a result, it was established that the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee financed the dossier through the law firm Perkins Coie.
Trump’s Administration and the Investigation
In May 2017, Trump dismissed Comey. Shortly thereafter, Robert Mueller became the special counsel to oversee the Crossfire Hurricane inquiry. His role was to investigate potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian entities.
During Mueller’s investigation, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence launched its own inquiry into the alleged collusion. Kash Patel, then a chief investigator for the committee, uncovered significant evidence of government surveillance abuses, focusing on former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
The Conclusion of Mueller’s Investigation
Later, Mueller’s extensive investigation wrapped up in April 2019. It ultimately found no evidence of criminal conspiracy or collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia.
After the report’s release, then-Attorney General Bill Barr appointed John Durham as a special counsel to delve into the origins of Crossfire Hurricane.
Findings from the Durham Report
Durham’s eventual report, released in May 2023, concluded that the FBI lacked substantial evidence to warrant the initiation of the investigation. His findings revealed significant shortcomings within the Department of Justice and the FBI, citing that both agencies failed to maintain strict adherence to the law.
He indicated that the FBI overlooked a critical warning sign, identifying a Clinton-led scheme designed to politically manipulate the law enforcement process in the lead-up to the 2016 elections.
This plan aimed to distract from investigations concerning Clinton’s use of a private email server and the mishandling of classified materials.
Clinton’s Influence on the Investigation
Durham pointed out that Brennan acknowledged the importance of intelligence suggesting Clinton was orchestrating efforts to connect Trump with Russia. Brennan expeditiously briefed Obama, then-Vice President Biden, and other national security officials about this intelligence.
However, the repercussions of Brennan’s briefing and the subsequent referral to the FBI appear to have been negligible according to Durham’s comprehensive analysis.
He stated, “The aforementioned facts reflect a rather startling and inexplicable failure to adequately consider and incorporate the Clinton Plan intelligence into the FBI’s investigative decision-making in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.”
A Reflection on the Investigation’s Impact
Durham suggested that if the FBI had treated the Crossfire Hurricane investigation as an assessment and integrated data from the Clinton Plan intelligence effectively, the analysis would have likely undergone more rigorous scrutiny.
This scrutiny could have potentially influenced how the FBI approached the investigation, impacting its trajectory and public narrative.
As the legal and political implications of the findings continue to unfold, the declassification of these documents may have profound effects on the discourse surrounding the 2016 election and subsequent events.
This is a breaking story.
