The White House released declassified information on Wednesday detailing an FBI investigation into whether President Trump acted as a Russian asset following his 2017 decision to fire FBI Director James Comey. An administration official stated that the theory, which triggered the probe, was ultimately unsupported by evidence.
Known as “Oxferd Comma,” the investigation functioned as a subcomponent of “Crossfire Hurricane,” the broader FBI inquiry into potential collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russian government. Officials marked the case as sensitive to limit access among agents, viewing it as a minimally intrusive way to address what they perceived as a significant national security risk.
According to the official, the inquiry was eventually absorbed into Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s larger investigation. It was later determined to have no merit when the Mueller probe concluded. The official expressed surprise at the premise, noting that by that stage, existing FBI intelligence had largely debunked the idea that the president or his campaign were colluding with Russia.
President Trump dismissed Comey in May 2017. While the White House initially attributed the firing to Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, the Mueller report suggested the president was frustrated by Comey’s refusal to publicly clear him of personal ties to Russia. This dismissal served as the catalyst for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint Mueller as special counsel to examine Russian election interference and potential campaign coordination.
Although Mueller’s final report did not find evidence that the Trump campaign conspired with Russia, it did document various contacts between campaign associates and individuals linked to the Russian government. President Trump has consistently denounced these investigations as unethical, frequently labeling Comey a “dirty cop,” while Comey has described the former president as “morally unfit” for office.
Legal tensions between the two have persisted, with Comey facing recent charges of threatening the president’s life through social media posts featuring seashells arranged as “86 47.” While Comey claims he is the subject of selective and vindictive prosecution, the Justice Department has rejected these allegations. Additionally, a previous indictment charging Comey with making false statements to Congress was dismissed last year.
“I was unaware that the predicate for the obstruction included a claim that Donald Trump was somehow acting on behalf of Vladimir Putin,” the official said.
Trump fired Comey in May 2017, just months into his first term as president.
Trump’s life by posting photos of seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47.” Comey has alleged he is being vindictively and selectively prosecuted, which the Justice Department has denied.
“The short of it is, almost everything in the FBI’s possession at that point had debunked or ruled out that Trump or his campaign was colluding with Russia at that time.”
Trump has frequently accused the FBI and other intelligence agencies of conducting unethical investigations into his campaigns and presidency, and has vowed to launch probes of his own.
