CIA Director Declassifies Appendix to Durham Report
As expected, CIA Director John Ratcliffe has declassified the appendix to the 2023 Durham Report and made it available to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). The findings, however, are concerning.
The Justice Department tasked federal prosecutor John Durham in 2019 to investigate the origins of the Crossfire Hurricane, which was the FBI’s inquiry into potential collusion between President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia during the election.
This led to the release of a lengthy, 306-page report that criticizes the FBI’s investigation as being fueled by the Obama administration’s agenda. It claims the investigation was based on “raw, uncategorized, and untreated intelligence,” ignoring crucial contradictory evidence and lacking fundamental due diligence.
Among the report’s alarming findings is evidence of misconduct—such as an FBI lawyer who admitted to altering an email used in a surveillance application pertaining to Trump campaign advisors. Durham also pointed out inconsistencies in how the bureau handled allegations against Hillary Clinton’s campaign regarding its own activities and its reliance on an overseas political dissenter’s dossier, despite its dubious credibility.
The appendix contains additional details, encapsulating the roots of the Russian collusion narrative. It shines a light on the FBI’s deliberate negligence under former Director James Comey and examines intelligence suggesting that the Clinton campaign had orchestrated the false narrative.
Interestingly, the Durham report reveals that there were two separate notes received by the Obama administration detailing covert communications involving prominent Democratic figures, including then-DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and individuals associated with George Soros’ Open Society Foundations. Both memos cited Obama’s awareness of efforts to undermine Trump using Clinton’s private email controversies as a distraction.
In a revealing turn, a memo from March indicated the Democrats were actively formulating a strategy to paint Trump as colluding with the “Russian mafia,” thus showing that they saw the need to counter Trump’s narrative against them.
The findings outlined in the appendix raise questions about the FBI’s actions, suggesting a bias in how investigations were pursued. In particular, Durham noted that as late as summer 2016, the FBI was aware of Clinton’s efforts to smear Trump, aimed at discrediting him by linking him to Russia.
This included an email allegedly from Leonard Benardo dated July 27, 2016, which discussed using Trump’s supposed ties to Russian hackers as a way to divert attention from Clinton’s own email issues.
Moreover, Durham pointed to a sentiment within the Clinton campaign that suggested they needed to “demonize Putin and Trump,” further illustrating a calculated approach to frame Trump negatively.
While many within the intelligence community were aware of the potential misuse of such intelligence, the report asserts that the FBI failed to properly vet these claims in relation to Crossfire Hurricane and related investigations.
As per Grassley, this appendix showcases a troubling trend wherein the intelligence and law enforcement agencies during the Obama and Biden administrations seemingly weaponized information against Trump, creating a significant scandal and undermining trust in these institutions.
The implications of these findings are profound, indicating deep political manipulation and the potential for major reforms in how intelligence agencies operate moving forward.
This situation may continue to evolve as additional insights from the Durham Appendix emerge.
