Newly declassified documents show that Hillary Clinton approved a 2016 campaign strategy to link Donald Trump to Russia in order to distract from her own mounting email scandal. According to the memos, Clinton endorsed a plan proposed by foreign policy adviser Julianne Smith to amplify claims of “Putin’s support for Trump” and steer public opinion toward equating genuine election-security concerns with allegations of Russian influence operations. The material was uncovered during Special Counsel John Durham’s multi-year investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe and later declassified at the request of Sen. Chuck Grassley.
Grassley said the files reveal that the Obama-era FBI failed to properly assess intelligence suggesting the Clinton campaign was promoting a politically motivated narrative through the Steele Dossier and related channels. He argued that these reports were “buried for years,” contributing to what he described as one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history. Additional memos released by Director of Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard indicated that U.S. intelligence agencies concluded Russia did not significantly influence the outcome of the 2016 election, noting that attempted intrusions into state systems did not affect voting or alter results.
The disclosures have renewed criticism of how the Trump-Russia investigation began and intensified scrutiny of senior Obama-era intelligence officials. Real Clear Investigations reporter Paul Sperry said sources claim there are texts and emails showing coordination between Clinton aides and officials in the Obama White House, State Department, and intelligence community. The FBI is reportedly laying groundwork for potential criminal inquiries into former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Director James Comey, and others involved in launching the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, which relied on claims later deemed unsubstantiated.