(MENAFN- The Arabian Post)

FBI Director Kash Patel has uncovered thousands of documents stored in burn bags within a previously undisclosed room at FBI headquarters. The materials, related to the 2016 Trump–Russia investigation and including a classified annex to the Durham report, are now undergoing declassification and have been submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee Chair, Chuck Grassley.

Patel asserts that the files were deliberately concealed by former FBI leadership and ignored by previous administrations. The classified annex reportedly contains intelligence suggesting government officials inside the FBI played a role in shaping the narrative that President Trump colluded with Russia before the Crossfire Hurricane investigation was formally launched.

President Trump, responding to questions from reporters, described the original Russia probe narrative as a“scam” orchestrated for political gain. When asked about the discovery, he expressed uncertainty and declined to elaborate.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Patel, and Intelligence Community leaders, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, jointly facilitated the document transmission to the Senate. The DOJ press brief notes the move aligns with directives for transparency.

Intelligence files recently released by Gabbard include a whistleblower memorandum describing alleged pressure placed on an analyst to endorse the ICA's findings regarding Trump and Russia. The analyst's initial independent conclusions reportedly conflicted with the wider community's narrative, prompting claims of internal coercion within the Obama administration.

Declassified intelligence memos dating from 2016 reveal that senior figures from Hillary Clinton's campaign, including foreign policy adviser Julianne Smith, reportedly initiated efforts to link Trump to Russia as a diversion from Clinton's email scandal. Open Society Foundations operatives Leonard Benardo and Jeffrey Goldstein held confidential meetings with the Democratic National Committee where this strategy was discussed.

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Special Counsel John Durham's investigation determined that some of these communications were likely authentic and should have been examined by federal agencies at the time-though the FBI did not properly investigate them, according to Durham's findings.

Supporters of the disclosure argue the documents expose what they describe as a politically motivated conspiracy to craft the false narrative of Trump-Russia collusion. House Intelligence Committee Chair Rick Crawford suggested the information is the“final nail in the coffin of the Russia hoax,” calling it among the greatest political frauds in US history.

Critics of the newly aired narrative highlight that multiple US intelligence agencies, including the CIA and FBI, concluded that Russia engaged in sweeping interference efforts targeting the 2016 election-campaign disruption via cyberattacks and social media manipulation. A bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report affirmed that Russian interference occurred and rejected theories suggesting the dossier triggered the probe.

Former CIA Director John Brennan and other intelligence community leaders have repudiated the idea that the collusion narrative was fabricated. Susan Miller, ex-head of the CIA Russia interference assessment team, maintains the investigation relied on credible intelligence, not political pressure.

As the declassification process continues, congressional committees are reviewing the documents to determine whether misconduct occurred. Senator Grassley emphasised that this information has been“buried for years” and that its release is essential to restoring public trust.

The story is evolving rapidly. Those involved in the probe, as well as critics, are watching closely as new evidence surfaces, national security implications emerge and accountability debates intensify.

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