Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign likely ‘ginned up’ the Trump-Russia collusion conspiracy and wanted the Obama FBI‘s help, according to bombshell new intelligence documents recently recovered from a ‘burn bag’ in a secret FBI room.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, under Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released a 29-page classified file from former Special Counsel John Durham‘s ‘Russiagate’ investigation on Thursday called the ‘Durham annex.’ The annex was one of many files recently discovered by FBI officials that was due to be destroyed.
The heart of the explosive allegations in the document: That the Obama administration and the Clinton campaign were aware of – and potentially coordinated – a plan to falsely tie Donald Trump to Russia, a chief U.S. rival.
Within the pages of the annex are private communications between Clinton staff and workers at a George Soros nonprofit discussing a plan to tie Trump to Russia to distract from scrutiny over the Hillary email server scandal, which was hurting the Democrat‘s campaign at the time.
Leonard Benardo, Senior Vice President of Soros’ Open Society Foundations, sent emails to top Clinton staffers that showed Hillary Clinton herself approved of the Trump-Russia ‘smear’ plan.
‘Julie [Clinton Campaign Advisor] says it will be a long-term affair to demonize Putin and Trump,’ one of his emails disclosed in the Durham annex states. ‘Now it is good for a post-convention bounce. Later the FBI will put more oil into the fire.’
A March 2016 intelligence memorandum included in the annex shows that ‘Clinton staff, with support from special services, is preparing scandalous revelations of business relations between Trump and the ‘Russian mafia.”
Durham’s report noted that the ‘special services’ mentioned in the March 2016 memo could be the FBI, CIA or other intel officials – indicating coordination between Obama’s intel officials and Clinton’s campaign.
Donald Trump has long blamed former Obama officials for cooking up the infamous ‘Russia hoax’ against him. The Durham annex released on Thursday alleges that Hillary Clinton’s campaign staff took steps to tie Trump to Russia. It also claims the FBI wrongly surveilled Trump’s 2016 campaign and that then FBI Director James Comey did not do enough to investigate the Steele Dossier and Clinton’s ties to Russia
Durham later wrote that Julianne Smith, a Clinton campaign advisor, ‘was, at minimum, playing a role in the Clinton campaign’s efforts to tie Trump to Russia.’
The emails ‘certainly lends at least some credence that such a plan existed,’ Durham said.
The annex authored by the special counsel, released publicly for the first time today, shows Clinton’s efforts to tie Trump and Russia together and the FBI’s failure to investigate Clinton’s ties to the Russia collusion allegations, like the infamously debunked Steele Dossier.
‘Based on the Durham annex, the Obama FBI failed to adequately review and investigate intelligence reports showing the Clinton campaign may have been ginning up the fake Trump-Russia narrative for Clinton’s political gain, which was ultimately done through the Steele Dossier and other means,’ Grassley, 91, said in a statement.
‘History will show that the Obama and Biden administration’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies were weaponized against President Trump,’ the senator continued. ‘This political weaponization has caused critical damage to our institutions and is one of the biggest political scandals and cover-ups in American history.
According to sources, the annex was among files stuffed in ‘burn bags’ that were due to be destroyed before recently being rescued by FBI employees. A person familiar with the discovery speculated to the Daily Mail that it was likely an oversight by previous directors that prevented the documents from being destroyed.
The person added that it’s likely the documents would have never seen the light of day if the FBI wasn’t diligently looking through everything it comes across at the bureau.
A spokesperson for Clinton did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment. A spokesperson for the Obamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment either.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on Sunday that the intelligence community may soon release a classified report showing that Hillary Clinton, James Comey and John Brennan gave inconsistent testimony about the origins of the Russia collusion case
Congress voted last week to subpoena Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill Clinton over their connections to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
The files that could soon be released will shine light on the origins of the Trump-Russia collusion scandal that began months after the 2016 election
Donald Trump’s CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently suggested that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other top Obama aides could be hit with perjury charges over the annex.
Ratcliffe said that Obama officials involved with the ‘Russia hoax’ – the debunked narrative that Russia interfered with the 2016 election on behalf of Donald Trump‘s campaign – could be prosecuted.
The dossier, a 2016 opposition research file crafted by former MI6 spy Christoper Steele against then-candidate Trump, was a central – and largely debunked – component of the FBI’s ‘Russiagate’ investigation.
Ratcliffe has also noted that former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan could still be hit with charges, including lying to Congress.
‘They conspired against President Trump, they conspired against the American people,’ the CIA director said. ‘So, I’ll leave it to Pam Bondi and our DOJ and Kash Patel and our FBI to investigate the conspiracy to do what, and what charges that they’re capable of bringing.’
However, some critics have slammed Ratcliffe for not releasing ‘Russiagate’ documents when he served as director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term.
Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump looks on during the town hall debate at Washington University on October 9, 2016 in St Louis, Missouri
‘Can anyone explain why John Ratcliffe, who held the same position as Tulsi (DNI) under Trump, totally failed to identify the Russian collusion coup hoax against Trump and was then promoted by Trump to head the CIA,’ podcast host Clint Russell wrote on X.
Last week, DNI Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents that she claims show how Obama-era intelligence officials ‘manufactured and politicized intelligence to lay the groundwork.’
She released a September 2020 report by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Russia’s attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election.
The file disputes the claim that Russia interfered with Trump’s first election on behalf of the Republican.
Gabbard has said that she now has ‘the evidence’ to prosecute Obama officials, referring evidence to the Department of Justice.
House Republicans are also seeking testimony from Hillary and Bill Clinton over their ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Former Attorneys General Eric Holder and Merrick Garland will also be compelled to testify as will former special counsel Robert Mueller, who oversaw Trump’s Russia collusion case.
