Trump declassifies FBI Russia probe files amid renewed attack on past investigators
Donald Trump (Photo: Getty Images)
President Donald Trump has ordered the release of long-classified FBI documents tied to the Russia investigation, reigniting political battles over the 2016 election, reports CNN.
On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order to release materials related to the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation - the 2016 probe into alleged ties between his presidential campaign and Russian operatives.
Trump first pushed for this declassification in the final days of his first term, on January 19, 2021. However, the documents were never made public, and one unredacted copy of the binder mysteriously disappeared, as CNN revealed in 2023.
The binder reportedly contains raw intelligence collected by the US and NATO allies indicating that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to help Trump win the 2016 election. While the most sensitive data is expected to remain classified, the released files include internal communications from the FBI and DOJ, interview records with ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, and details about the FBI’s surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser.
Targeting old enemies
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that the Department of Justice has already started the declassification process: "At my direction, the Department of Justice has already started the process in order to release materials related to the FBI’s infamous Crossfire Hurricane investigation - an example of weaponized government against President Trump at its worst that must never be allowed to happen again," she stated.
President of the United States Donald Trump in the Oval Office (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Trump also signed a separate executive order to suspend federal building access and security clearances for employees of the law firm Jenner & Block. The firm once employed Andrew Weissmann - a top prosecutor on Robert Mueller’s team who led the conviction of Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Trump allies have long demanded full transparency. "Put out the documents. Put out the evidence. We only have gotten halfway down the Russiagate hole," said Kash Patel on Fox News before taking over as FBI Director.
Trump-era investigations under scrutiny
This long-awaited release is another chapter in Trump’s ongoing efforts to discredit the investigations that have followed him since 2016.
It’s worth noting that last year, the Justice Department’s internal watchdog expressed concern over how leak investigations were handled during Trump’s first term. These probes targeted members of Congress and journalists, especially after reports surfaced about a meeting between Trump adviser Jeff Sessions and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. However, as reported by ABC News and Reuters, no political motivation behind the investigations was confirmed.
With this new order, Trump continues his campaign to expose what he describes as a politically motivated attack and restore his narrative of the 2016 probe as a government overreach.
