The trove of sensitive documents is allegedly related to what US intelligence officials described as a “treasonous” conspiracy
FBI Director Kash Patel has uncovered multiple “burn bags” containing thousands of sensitive documents related to the Trump–Russia investigation in a hidden room at FBI headquarters in Washington, sources familiar with the matter told the New York Post and Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
Among the documents, reportedly found inside a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) at the J. Edgar Hoover Building, was a classified 29-page annex to special counsel John Durham’s 2023 report, which has never been publicly released.
The annex allegedly contains a foreign intelligence warning suggesting that the FBI intended to promote claims of collusion between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government.
“Mere days after this intelligence was collected, the FBI launched Crossfire Hurricane,” one source said, describing the information as predicting the bureau’s actions “with alarming specificity.” The release, the source added, “will lend more credibility to the assertion that there was a coordinated plan inside the US government to help the Clinton campaign stir up controversy connecting Trump to Russia.”
Crossfire Hurricane was prompted by the Steele Dossier – a compilation of unverified rumors about Trump and his alleged links to Russia, reportedly funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign. In 2023, US Department of Justice (DOJ) Special Counsel John Durham – appointed to review the origins of the Crossfire Hurricane probe – concluded that the FBI and DOJ had “failed to uphold their mission” by relying on biased information to surveil Trump.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently released a declassified congressional report alleging that the Obama administration distorted intelligence to falsely suggest Trump colluded with Moscow. She has called the effort a “treasonous conspiracy.”
The documents implicated top intelligence officials under Obama – among them former DNI James Clapper, CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey, and National Security Adviser Susan Rice – in the alleged plot. Brennan and Clapper rejected the accusations in a New York Times op-ed, arguing that Moscow still “did influence the election by shaping voter preferences,” even if it didn’t tamper with vote tallies.
The classified annex is being prepared for release to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who is expected to make it available to the public in due course. President Trump, when asked about the discovery on Wednesday, said: “I want everything to be shown.”
