Latest news with #Trump-Russia
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'I don't know what...': Donald Trump reacts to Russia probe files discovered in FBI office; ducks reporter questions
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ducked reporter questions when asked about reports that FBI Director Kash Patel had uncovered a secret room at the FBI headquarters containing 'burn bags' filled with documents related to the 2016 Trump–Russia investigation. During a press interaction, a reporter questioned Trump about Patel's discovery: 'Kash Patel reportedly found burn bags of Russiagate materials,' the reporter said. Trump responded, puzzled: 'What?' When the reporter repeated, 'Burn bags,' Trump replied, 'I don't know what you mean.' As the journalist tried to clarify, saying, 'Bags full of ...' Trump cut in with a quip: 'Oh, I thought you said appointed a man named Burn Bag,' showing he may have misunderstood the question and thought 'burn bags' was someone's name. The 'burn bags' system is used to destroy documents designated as classified or higher. According to the New York Post, the secretive room at the FBI's Washington, DC headquarters contained thousands of pages of classified or sensitive records, including a classified annex to the 2023 report by former special counsel John Durham, who investigated the original Trump-Russia probe, known as 'Crossfire Hurricane.' The 29-page appendix, never made public before, contains key intelligence Durham reviewed, according to Fox News Digital, which first reported the discovery. However, it remains unclear whether the contents found had reached their destruction deadline or if they were preserved intentionally or due to oversight. According to Fox News Digital, the annex contains intelligence indicating that foreign sources warned US officials, before July 2016, that the FBI might be working to spread a false narrative that Trump's campaign was colluding with Russia. These warnings reportedly came before the bureau launched the "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation. The annex, now undergoing declassification, will reportedly be turned over to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), with plans for eventual public release. Patel, who was appointed FBI director by Trump during his second term, discovered the secret Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) soon after taking over the bureau. In a conversation with podcast host Joe Rogan, Patel claimed, "When I first got to the bureau, I found a room that [former FBI Director James] Comey and others hid from the world in the Hoover Building, full of documents and computer hard drives no one had ever seen or heard of." Patel has since turned the recovered materials over to Senator Grassley, who is reviewing them. Among the key players overseeing the declassification are CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and acting NSA Director William Hartman. Once the documents are cleared, Grassley plans to make them public. The Crossfire Hurricane probe originally began in July 2016 as the FBI investigated alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives. That investigation led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, whose 2019 report concluded that while there were 'links' between the Trump team and Russian individuals, there was no proof of conspiracy. However, later scrutiny revealed irregularities in the FBI's conduct, especially the misuse of FISA warrants against Trump adviser Carter Page. In October 2020, then-Attorney General Bill Barr appointed John Durham as special counsel to investigate the origins of the probe. The newly discovered annex reportedly contains intelligence that 'predicted the FBI's actions with alarming specificity,' further fueling Republican claims that the bureau may have sought to interfere in the 2016 election to favour Hillary Clinton.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
FBI Unearths Hidden Russia Documents Tied To Clinton Campaign
FBI Director Kash Patel has uncovered thousands of sensitive documents related to the Trump-Russia investigation hidden within a secure facility at FBI headquarters. Among the findings is a never-before-seen 29-page classified annex to John Durham's 2023 report, which allegedly reveals a foreign warning that the FBI intended to promote the Trump-Russia collusion narrative. The annex is said to bolster claims of a coordinated government effort to aid Hillary Clinton's campaign. #TrumpRussiaFiles #FBILeaks #DurhamReport #CrossfireHurricane #ClintonCampaign #DeepState #ElectionInterference #PoliticalScandal Read More
NDTV
4 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Kash Patel Finds Hidden Trove Of Trump-Russia Probe Documents At FBI Office
FBI Director Kash Patel has discovered multiple "burn bags" filled with thousands of classified documents linked to the bureau's Trump-Russia probe, known internally as 'Crossfire Hurricane'. The bags, used to destroy sensitive documents, were found in a hidden room inside FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. Inside was a 29-page classified annex to a 2023 report by special counsel John Durham. That report looked into how and why the FBI started its 2016 investigation into possible links between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia. The "burn bag" system is used to securely dispose of documents marked classified or above. "Just think about this," Kash Patel said in a podcast interview with Joe Rogan last month. "When I first got to the bureau, I found a room that [former FBI Director James] Comey and others hid from the world in the Hoover Building, full of documents and computer hard drives no one had ever seen or heard of." This secret appendix, never made public before, contains intelligence from foreign sources warning that the FBI might help spread a false story about Trump colluding with Russia, before the official launch of Crossfire Hurricane in July 2016. The documents are now undergoing declassification in coordination with top Trump-era officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and NSA Acting Director William Hartman. Once cleared, the annex will be turned over to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley for public release. A source told Fox News that the intelligence in it, while ambiguous at the time, "predicted the FBI's next move with alarming specificity." "Ultimately, the release of the classified annex will lend more credibility to the assertion that there was a coordinated plan inside the US government to help the Clinton campaign stir up controversy connecting Trump to Russia," the source said. Earlier this month, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, released new materials claiming the Obama administration was prepared to close the door on Russian interference findings until Comey's FBI took the investigation in a different direction, a claim denied by former intelligence chiefs John Brennan and James Clapper. In a New York Times op-ed, Brennan and Clapper maintained that Russia did, in fact, interfere in the 2016 election to influence voter preferences, and criticised what they called a distortion of intelligence by Trump-era officials.
News18
4 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
Kash Patel Found Trump-Russia Probe Docs Inside 'Burn Bags' In Secret Room At FBI Office
The "burn bag" system is designed to securely dispose of documents marked classified or higher. FBI Director Kash Patel has uncovered several 'burn bags" containing thousands of classified documents related to the bureau's Trump-Russia investigation, known internally as 'Crossfire Hurricane'. These bags, typically used for destroying sensitive documents, were discovered in a concealed room within the FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. Among the contents was a 29-page classified annex to a 2023 report by special counsel John Durham. This report examined the origins and reasons behind the FBI's 2016 investigation into potential connections between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia. The 'burn bag" system is designed to securely dispose of documents marked classified or higher. 'Just think about this," Kash Patel mentioned in a podcast interview with Joe Rogan last month. 'Upon my arrival at the bureau, I discovered a room that [former FBI Director James] Comey and others had kept hidden in the Hoover Building, filled with documents and computer hard drives that no one had previously seen or heard of." This secret appendix, previously undisclosed, contains intelligence from foreign sources warning that the FBI might propagate a false narrative about Trump colluding with Russia, prior to the official launch of Crossfire Hurricane in July 2016. Currently, the documents are undergoing declassification in coordination with top Trump-era officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and NSA Acting Director William Hartman. Once declassified, the annex will be handed over to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley for public release. A source informed Fox News that the intelligence, though ambiguous at the time, 'predicted the FBI's next move with alarming specificity." 'The release of the classified annex will ultimately lend more credibility to the assertion that there was a coordinated effort within the US government to help the Clinton campaign create controversy linking Trump to Russia," the source said. Earlier this month, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, released new materials alleging that the Obama administration was prepared to conclude its findings on Russian interference until Comey's FBI steered the investigation in a different direction. This claim has been denied by former intelligence chiefs John Brennan and James Clapper. In a New York Times op-ed, Brennan and Clapper asserted that Russia did interfere in the 2016 election to influence voter preferences and criticised what they described as a distortion of intelligence by Trump-era officials. view comments First Published: July 31, 2025, 12:33 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
New York Post
15 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
FBI chief Kash Patel finds ‘burn bags' of Trump-Russia documents in secret room
WASHINGTON — FBI Director Kash Patel discovered 'burn bags' filled with thousands of documents dating back to the bureau's Trump-Russia probe during the 2016 campaign, a source familiar with the findings told The Post Wednesday. One of the documents, discovered in a purported secret room at the FBI's DC headquarters, is a classified annex to the 2023 report by then-special counsel John Durham that scrutinized the original probe, code-named 'Crossfire Hurricane.' The 29-page appendix to the Durham report, which has never been publicly released, includes details of the intelligence he reviewed, according to Fox News Digital, which first reported on the discovery. In official parlance, 'burn bags' refer to containers that hold classified documents that are meant to be destroyed after a certain period of time. It was not immediately clear whether the documents found by Patel had yet to reach their destroy date or were preserved due to an oversight by officials. 4 FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a news conference at the Manassas FBI Field Office, March 27, 2025, in Manassas, VA. AP The annex will be declassified and turned over to Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) for eventual public release, a source confirmed to The Post. Grassley's office didn't immediately respond to an inquiry about when the documents would be released. Fox News Digital reported Tuesday that the annex includes information that foreign sources warned members of the US intelligence community that the FBI would help spread a narrative that the 2016 Trump campaign illegally colluded with the Kremlin to win the election — before the bureau launched 'Crossfire Hurricane' in July 2016. Those involved in examining the papers include Patel, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi and acting National Security Agency Director William Hartman. 'I want everything to be shown,' President Trump told reporters Wednesday when asked about the news. 'You know, as long as it's fair and reasonable, I think it will be shown.' 4 A person walks out of an FBI field office, near images of President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and FBI Director Kash Patel, at a U.S. immigration court in Manhattan, in New York City, July 10, 2025. REUTERS The FBI investigation culminated in the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report in March 2019, which found that there were links between the Russians and Trump, but that there was no evidence that he 'conspired' with the Kremlin. Then-Attorney General Bill Barr assigned Durham to investigate the origins of Crossfire Hurricane in October 2020, after congressional investigators discovered the FBI had lied in statements when obtaining warrants to surveil then-Trump adviser Carter Page. Durham's final report concluded 'Crossfire Hurricane' was 'seriously flawed' and had no basis in evidence. 4 FBI Director Kash Patel testifies during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 8, 2025. AP 4 President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk during the family photo session at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam November 11, 2017. REUTERS At the time of the Mueller investigation, Patel was chief investigator for then-House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who launched an investigation into the conduct of 'Crossfire Hurricane' in 2017. Last month, Patel hinted at the discovery in an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan. 'When I first got to the bureau, [I] found a room that [former FBI Director James] Comey and others hid from the world in the Hoover Building, full of documents and computer hard drives that no one had ever seen or heard of,' he said. 'They [l]ocked the key and hid access and just said, 'No one's ever gonna find this place.'' Earlier this month, Gabbard released evidence of what she called a 'treasonous conspiracy' by Obama administration officials to undermine his successor, a claim former CIA Director John Brennan and ex-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper called 'patently false' Wednesday. A key finding released by Gabbard is that the Obama administration was prepared to conclude that Russia played no role in influencing the 2016 election results before Comey's FBI pulled rank. In a New York Times op-ed published Wednesday, Brennan and Clapper insisted that Moscow did influence the election by shaping voter preferences before the voting booths — even if they didn't change the numbers directly. 'The real politicization is the calculated distortion of intelligence by administration officials, notably Mr. Trump's directors of national intelligence and the CIA, positions that should be apolitical,' they wrote. 'We find it deeply regrettable that the administration continues to perpetuate the fictitious narrative that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 election. It should instead acknowledge that a foreign nation-state — a mortal enemy of the United States — routinely meddles in our national elections and will continue to do so unless we take appropriate bipartisan action to stop it.'
