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The Big Lies › 2023 › File PF-0219
Unproven

Durham: FBI Opened Full Trump-Russia Probe on 'Raw, Unanalyzed' Intel

For years, coverage presented the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation as a probe grounded in evidence that Trump's campaign was coordinating with Russia.

First reported May 15, 2023 · The New York Times, The Washington Post, MSNBC, Associated Press
Screenshot of the original report as published
Screenshot of the report as published: nytimes.com (archived copy, Wayback Machine). Tap to open the source.
Who it helped: Democrats

Durham undercut years of coverage that treated the Trump-Russia probe as evidence-based, a narrative that served Democrats.

What was reported

For years, coverage presented the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation as a probe grounded in evidence that Trump's campaign was coordinating with Russia.

What actually happened

Special Counsel John Durham's May 15, 2023 report said the FBI should not have opened a full investigation. It said the FBI relied on raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated intelligence and showed confirmation bias. AP reported Durham found the FBI had no evidence of actual contact between Trump associates and Russian intelligence at the outset. Durham's probe produced one guilty plea and two jury acquittals. He did not conclude that political bias drove the investigation. The 2019 inspector general report had found adequate predication and no documented political bias, but 17 significant errors in the Carter Page FISA applications. Maddow called the report a rehash of known material, and AP said it contained few major revelations.

The proof

Durham's 306-page report (May 15, 2023), read alongside the December 2019 inspector general findings.

The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:

Durham: FBI Opened Full Trump-Russia Probe on 'Raw, Unanalyzed' Intel — Unproven. Durham's 306-page report (May 15, 2023), read alongside the December 2019 inspector general findings. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/durham-report-crossfire-hurricane/

Original reporting

Corrections, findings & records

Archived copies

Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.

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