Obama Admin Launched Crossfire Hurricane Investigation Without Evidence of Trump Collusion.

Obama Administration Had No Evidence of Trump-Russia Collusion, Durham Report Finds

A new bombshell report reveals that the Obama administration had no real evidence of then-candidate Donald Trump colluding with Russian government officials when it launched its investigation into the Trump campaign leading up to the 2016 election. Special Counsel John Durham released the findings of his years-long investigation into the origins of the FBI’s surveillance of the Trump campaign, revealing that the FBI had no evidence to warrant such an investigation.

The Recklessness of Leading FBI Officials

The baseless investigation into the Trump campaign started after Australian intelligence notified the FBI about “concerning comments” from George Papadopoulos, an unpaid foreign policy advisor for the Trump team, about the Russians purportedly having dirt on Hillary Clinton’s campaign. In his report, Durham details the recklessness with which leading FBI officials, such as then-Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and then-Deputy Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Peter Strzok, launched Crossfire Hurricane and further revealed that the FBI did not possess evidence of Trump-Russia collusion as late as March 2017.

The Baselessness of the Steele Dossier

Durham’s report also highlights the baselessness of the Steele Dossier, which the FBI used in its application to acquire a FISA warrant to spy on the Trump campaign. Durham ultimately concluded the FBI failed to corroborate any of its key claims regarding the Dossier, writing, “Our investigation determined that the Crossfire Hurricane investigators did not and could not corroborate any of the substantive allegations contained in the Steele reporting.”

The FBI’s Departure from Standard Analytical Tools

The FBI launched a full investigation “without (i) any significant review of its own intelligence databases, (ii) collection and examination of any relevant intelligence from other U.S. intelligence agencies, (iii) interviews of witnesses essential to understand the raw information it had received or (iv) using any of the standard analytical tools typically employed by the FBI in evaluating raw intelligence,” the report reads. “In addition, FBI records prepared by Strzok in February and March 2017 show that at the time of the opening of Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI had no information in its holdings indicating that at any time during the campaign anyone in the Trump campaign had been in contact with any Russian intelligence officials.”

The Failure to Notify Trump or His Team

Meanwhile, the FBI did not notify Trump or his team when launching inquiries into campaign officials such as Papadopoulos, Carter Page, Paul Manafort, and Michael Flynn.

It is clear that the Obama administration and the FBI acted recklessly and without evidence in their investigation of the Trump campaign. The Durham report sheds light on the baselessness of the Steele Dossier and the FBI’s departure from standard analytical tools. It is time for accountability and transparency in our government institutions.

• Shawn Fleetwood is a Staff Writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington.
• He also serves as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review.
• Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood