A newly declassified annex to Special Counsel John Durham’s 2023 report has reignited controversy over the origins of the Trump-Russia collusion narrative, implicating Hillary Clinton and her 2016 presidential campaign in what some now describe as a coordinated disinformation effort. The annex, released by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley on July 31, includes intelligence assessments, private campaign communications, and internal agency referrals suggesting Clinton personally approved a plan to link Donald Trump to Russian interference – despite her and her team’s later denials to federal investigators.

The 2023 Durham report broadly criticized the FBI for launching the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into the Trump campaign without proper vetting or credible evidence. However, the newly released annex goes further, suggesting a politically motivated initiative by Clinton’s campaign to “demonize” both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin – allegedly in an effort to distract from her own burgeoning email scandal.

The annex references two Russian intelligence memoranda that reportedly documented conversations within the Clinton campaign. These memos, while initially viewed by some US intelligence analysts as possibly fabricated, were later deemed by multiple experts as “likely authentic,” according to the annex. The information within the memos, if verified, would imply that top Clinton aides – and Clinton herself – orchestrated a media and political campaign to link Trump with the Kremlin.

In one particularly damning July 25, 2016, email attributed to Leonard Benardo, an executive at George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, the strategy is explicitly discussed. Benardo allegedly wrote that Clinton foreign policy adviser Julianne Smith was working on a plan to “demonize Putin and Trump,” and that the narrative could be useful for generating post-convention political momentum. “Later the FBI will put more oil into the fire,” the email stated.

Another email two days later reportedly quoted Benardo as saying Clinton had “approved an idea about Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections.” The communication suggested the strategy would serve to distract from Clinton’s missing emails – a reference to her use of a private server while serving as Secretary of State.

Though Benardo told investigators he did not remember authoring the emails, he admitted that portions of the language sounded like something he could have written. Analysts from US intelligence agencies who examined the material concluded that the emails were likely an amalgamation of several authentic messages obtained via Russian cyber-infiltration of US think tanks.

Despite the claims within the annex, Clinton and her top campaign officials denied any knowledge of the so-called Russia collusion strategy during interviews with federal investigators. Clinton dismissed the intelligence as “Russian disinformation.” Campaign chairman John Podesta called the allegations “ridiculous” and claimed he was unaware of any such plan.

Jake Sullivan, now serving as President Biden’s National Security Advisor, also denied knowledge of the internal communications but did acknowledge that the campaign focused on Trump’s alleged Russia ties. However, he claimed there was no articulated plan to deflect negative press away from Clinton’s email controversy by leveraging the Russia narrative.

Nonetheless, the annex cites other evidence that appears to contradict those denials. A key email from Julianne Smith to colleagues at a foreign policy think tank was flagged as lending “credence that such a plan existed.” Additionally, the annex references text messages between Smith and an unidentified Clinton adviser, suggesting coordination on amplifying concerns over Trump’s ties to Russia and the DNC server hack.

Perhaps most striking is the revelation that the CIA provided the FBI with an “investigative referral” memorandum in July 2016, warning of a potential Clinton campaign strategy to leverage Russian interference claims for political gain. This memo, sent just days after the Democratic National Convention, detailed the supposed plan and encouraged the FBI to investigate further.

According to the annex, some within the FBI dismissed the referral as weak or speculative, while others saw it as credible enough to justify opening lines of inquiry. What remains undisputed is that the FBI proceeded with its Crossfire Hurricane investigation shortly thereafter – an investigation that would come to dominate headlines for the next two years.

The timing has raised suspicions among critics who argue the Clinton campaign’s efforts, whether officially sanctioned or informally executed, helped ignite one of the most polarizing political scandals in recent history. These critics, including President Donald Trump, say the new evidence confirms long-standing allegations of political interference and misuse of federal investigative powers.

The Durham report itself concluded that the FBI failed in its duty of objectivity and thoroughness by launching Crossfire Hurricane based on unverified intelligence, notably the infamous Steele Dossier. The declassified annex deepens this critique by offering what it characterizes as internal evidence of Clinton campaign maneuvering and strategic deception.

While the annex stops short of declaring definitive criminal conduct, its implications are serious. If the Clinton campaign did knowingly engineer a hoax to draw attention away from its own scandals and manipulate federal law enforcement into action, it would mark a profound abuse of the political system.

Moreover, the annex’s release adds fuel to a growing fire among Republican lawmakers who are demanding accountability. Chuck Grassley, in his statement accompanying the annex, condemned the FBI and DOJ for withholding the material from public scrutiny for years. “The American people deserve to know the truth,” he said.

The release also raises fresh questions about the role of political operatives, think tanks, and philanthropic organizations like Soros’ Open Society Foundations in shaping public narratives. Though there is no direct evidence Soros himself was involved in the campaign plan, the mention of Benardo – a top executive – adds another layer of intrigue and controversy.

While many in the media and political establishment once dismissed allegations of a Clinton-approved Russia hoax as fringe conspiracy theory, the declassified annex now presents tangible evidence that senior members of her campaign discussed and possibly initiated a strategy to discredit Trump using unverified Russian interference claims. That the FBI took these cues and launched an unprecedented investigation into a presidential candidate only heightens the stakes of what could be one of the most consequential political scandals of the 21st century.

With the annex now public, pressure is mounting on federal authorities to determine whether laws were broken – and if accountability will finally follow.

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Source: Weekly Blitz :: Writings