Newly released documents suggest that foreign sources played a significant role in promoting the controversial narrative of Trump colluding with Russia, prior to the FBI’s investigation. This revelation comes from an appendix to a report by former Special Advisor John Durham, which was made public by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Chairman Chuck Grassley referred to this as a major political scandal in U.S. history.
Coordinated efforts between several high-profile officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Attorney General Pambondi, led to the declassification of this information. Sources disclosed that the FBI had involvement in circulating claims of Trump-Russian collaboration before launching the notorious Crossfire Hurricane probe.
A knowledgeable insider shared that, in hindsight, the intelligence gathering anticipated the FBI’s next actions, pointing to surprising insights revealed in the appendix. This document includes claims that foreign entities linked to George Soros’s Open Society Foundations had access to hacked emails.
In 2016, Russian officials allegedly reported hacking Open Society’s emails, from which crucial information was extracted. Notably, emails from Leonard Bernardo, a key figure at the foundation, indicated a strategy to cast Russian interference as a domestic issue, directed at manipulating public perception during the election.
Bernardo’s emails acknowledged the lack of direct evidence initially but suggested using various technological platforms to disseminate information that could push narratives beneficial to the Clinton campaign. For instance, he mentioned efforts to portray Trump and Russian hackers as threats to the electoral process.
The investigation known as Crossfire Hurricane officially started on July 31, 2016, shortly after these communications. The appendix notes that individuals involved in this inquiry believed Bernardo’s emails were likely authentic.
Durham’s findings suggest that the Clinton campaign may have counted on the FBI’s support to validate their claims against Trump, possibly hoping to ignite further investigations. He detailed how the intelligence shared among various federal agencies led to the initiation of Crossfire Hurricane.
Additionally, the declassification of these documents was closely managed by relevant authorities, including Ratcliffe and FBI officials, as they aimed to provide clarity around the historical context of the investigation.
Concerns have emerged regarding the FBI’s failure to properly assess information that could have implicated the Clinton campaign in efforts to manipulate the election narrative. Durham’s report criticized the bureau for not recognizing signs that they might be targets of political manipulation in 2016.
As the political landscape continues to evolve, the implications of these findings could resonate significantly in future discussions about the integrity of law enforcement and election processes. Fox News Digital has reached out to Soros for comment but has yet to receive a response.
