Discussion on Trump’s First Term and Russian Collusion Claims
On Tuesday, George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley appeared on Fox News, discussing the events surrounding President Donald Trump’s first term.
During the segment, Turley highlighted comments from National Intelligence Director Tarsi Gabbard, who revealed declassified documents that suggest former President Barack Obama and his national security staff “manufactured and politicized intelligence” following Trump’s victory in 2016. Appearing on “Ingraham’s Angle,” Turley emphasized the influential role of the media in perpetuating the narrative.
“The media’s reaction to the story of Russian collusion, allegedly funded by Hillary Clinton’s campaign, is intriguing. They denied funding Steele’s documents but seemed to ignore the implications,” Turley pointed out.
A significant moment occurred in July 2016, according to Turley, when then-CIA Director John Brennan informed Obama of Clinton’s plan to fabricate the Russian collusion narrative to distract from her email situation.
“Laura, it’s alarming to see how much of the timeline fits together. In July 2016, John Brennan communicated to Obama that Hillary was trying to create a Russian conspiracy theory to shift attention from her email issues,” Turley explained to host Laura Ingraham. “We have recent declassified material that indicates Brennan played a role in promoting Steele’s documents, which would be misused later by the Obama administration.”
Turley also discussed how foreign sources perceived the FBI’s involvement before the investigation officially launched. “It helped the FBI push for an investigation into a supposed Russian conspiracy that effectively undermined Trump’s presidency. What’s striking is that this originated from foreign sources that the FBI was aware of,” he said. “This was a real plan, not an actual Russian conspiracy. The true conspiracy lies with those who perpetuated this investigation and misled the courts.”
In 2018, the New York Times and the Washington Post jointly received a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and its ties to the Trump campaign, despite ongoing concerns about the accuracy of certain claims.
The documents in question were crucial in obtaining warrants to monitor Trump associates like Carter Page, though they have since lost credibility. In October 2022, FBI analyst Brian Orton stated that the agency had promised Steele between $1 million and $1.2 million to testify, a deal that ultimately did not materialize.
Furthermore, in 2022, the Clinton Campaign and the Democratic National Committee faced fines from the Federal Election Commission for their involvement in promoting questionable documents linked to the conspiracy allegations. Senior officials also contested major assertions made by Brennan regarding Russian interference in the election, particularly his claim that Russia had aimed to assist Trump in defeating Clinton.
