Kash Patel finds classified FBI documents linked to Trump–Russia narrative; declassification underway
Sources revealed the 'burn bag' system is typically used to destroy highly classified materials. However, Kash Patel's team discovered intact bags filled with documents that appear to date back to the FBI's controversial Crossfire Hurricane probe, which investigated alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
According to the news outlet, sources briefed on the material said some of the contents form part of a classified annex now undergoing declassification. The process is being coordinated by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and acting NSA Director William Hartman.
A source familiar with the annex said it includes 'credible foreign intelligence' indicating that the FBI might play a role in fueling the Trump–Russia narrative — well before the bureau officially launched Crossfire Hurricane in July 2016.
'With the benefit of hindsight, [the intelligence] predicted the FBI's next move with alarming specificity,' the source was quoted as saying. The source reportedly added, 'Ultimately, the release of the classified annex will lend more credibility to the assertion that there was a coordinated plan inside the U.S. government to help the Clinton campaign stir up controversy connecting Trump to Russia.'
The discovery further fuels allegations that parts of the US intelligence community may have actively supported efforts to damage Donald Trump during the 2016 election. 'Mere days after this intelligence was collected, the FBI launched Crossfire Hurricane,' a source stated. 'It's really hard to see how Brennan, Clapper and Comey are going to be able to explain this away.'
The Crossfire Hurricane probe began just months before Trump's inauguration. By January 2017, then-FBI Director James Comey briefed Trump on the Steele dossier — a now-discredited document containing unverified claims, which was later revealed to be funded by the Clinton campaign.
Sources quoted confirmed that Patel turned the newly uncovered documents over to Senator Chuck Grassley, who has long pursued answers about the origins of the Trump–Russia investigation. Patel's staff continues to process the remaining material and intends to release them to congressional committees overseeing intelligence and justice.
Grassley's office is now reviewing the documents as part of an ongoing investigation into the conduct of federal agencies during and after the 2016 election, including the work of Special Counsel John Durham.
Durham was appointed to investigate possible misconduct by the intelligence community during the Mueller-led Russia probe. Mueller, who was appointed special counsel shortly after Trump fired Comey in May 2017, did not establish criminal collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
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