Recent declassified documents have exposed what many are calling an elaborate political deception orchestrated by the Clinton campaign in 2016 to link Donald Trump to Russia. The newly released materials reveal a coordinated effort involving the FBI, media outlets, and even foreign entities to promote a false narrative about Russian collusion.
The operation unfolded in three distinct phases, much like a classic magic trick. Initially, the Clinton campaign privately funded the Steele dossier through Fusion GPS, with Hillary Clinton personally approving the operation. Campaign officials, including John Podesta, repeatedly denied any involvement, while payments were concealed as legal fees to Perkins Coie, totaling $5.6 million.
The second phase involved leveraging government resources to legitimize these claims. In July 2016, then-CIA Director John Brennan briefed President Obama about Clinton’s strategy to connect Trump to Russia, seemingly to deflect attention from her email server controversy. Days later, the Russia investigation commenced. Notably, Brennan later overruled CIA analysts who questioned the validity of the evidence, particularly regarding the Steele dossier.
According to newly revealed documents, foreign intelligence sources anticipated the FBI’s involvement in this plan before the Crossfire Hurricane investigation began. Recently declassified materials show that Russian hackers accessed emails from the Open Society
Foundations, revealing communications about the planned campaign against Trump. Leonard Bernardo, a regional director at the
foundation, discussed strategies to disseminate information through FBI channels and into major U.S. publications.
The scheme proved remarkably effective, consuming much of Trump’s first term with investigations and media coverage. However, both the Special Counsel and Inspector General ultimately found no evidence supporting the Russian collusion claims. Major media outlets, including the Washington Post and New York Times, which received Pulitzer Prizes for their coverage, now face scrutiny over their role in promoting these debunked allegations.
The CIA is reportedly preparing to release additional documents showing foreign sources’ awareness of the planned Russian collusion narrative before it materialized. These materials are expected to demonstrate how various international actors anticipated the FBI’s involvement with “alarming specificity.”
Despite career CIA analysts expressing doubts about the evidence, particularly the Steele dossier’s credibility, the narrative persisted. When confronted with the dossier’s flaws, Brennan reportedly dismissed concerns by asking, “Yes, but doesn’t it ring true?”
The Clinton campaign’s legal team played a crucial role, with Marc Elias serving as general counsel when the campaign funded the Steele dossier. His law partner, Michael Sussmann, was later indicted but acquitted in relation to these events. The Federal Election Commission eventually sanctioned both the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee for their handling of the dossier funding.
This complex operation involved multiple layers of deception, from hidden financial transactions to coordinated media strategies. The campaign successfully manipulated both government resources and media outlets to promote their narrative, despite lacking substantive evidence. Even when reporters like Ken Vogel and Maggie Haberman attempted to investigate the campaign’s connection to the dossier, they faced strong denials from campaign officials.
As more documents become declassified, the American public is gaining a clearer understanding of how this political operation was executed, revealing a coordinated effort that extended far beyond typical campaign tactics to influence public opinion and government action.