FBI Secretly Opened Probe Alleging Trump Fired Comey because he was a Russian Asset, Declassified Memos Show - The White House (.gov)
Newly declassified memos reveal that the FBI launched a criminal investigation in 2017 into whether President Trump acted as a Russian asset following the firing of James Comey. The documents suggest the probe was initiated despite internal skepticism regarding evidence of collusion.
Why it matters
This disclosure provides insight into the origins of high-stakes counterintelligence investigations involving a sitting president and the internal debates within the FBI.
FBI Secretly Opened Probe Alleging Trump Fired Comey Because He Was a Russian Asset, Declassified Memos Show The White House August 5, 2026 By John Solomon
The FBI opened a criminal probe specifically targeting Donald Trump in May 2017, alleging the newly elected president may have been acting as a Russian asset when he fired then-Director James Comey even though the bureau’s own evidence overwhelmingly showed at the time there was no collusion with the Kremlin.
Internal FBI memos newly declassified by the White House show the investigation – codenamed Oxferd Comma – was launched in the immediate aftermath of Comey’s May 9, 2017 firing and was predicated on an allegation that previously released records show the bureau’s own agents had mostly dismissed.
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