Newly declassified FBI files have further confirmed that the real “collusion” scandal surrounding the 2016 election didn’t take place between Russia and the Trump campaign, but between top Obama White House officials, Hillary Clinton campaign staffers, congressional Democrats, and a blatantly weaponized intelligence community.
As most readers will well remember, the Democrat-media machine claimed that then-candidate Donald Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election. But years of investigations – including the exhaustive Mueller probe – found no evidence of collusion.
In reality, the actual scandal was how the “Russiagate investigation” came about in the first place. The allegations against Trump were built on the now-discredited Steele Dossier, a Clinton-funded opposition research hit job that was used to justify the Obama FBI spying on Trump’s campaign. Ultimately, Russiagate was exposed as a hoax: an abuse of power by partisan actors in government and media who weaponized false allegations to try to undermine a duly elected president.
But until now, the exact names of many of those involved have been kept from the public – thus shielding bad actors from accountability. However, a new report from RealClearInvestigations (RCI) alleges that, based on recently declassified FBI documents, there is now sufficient evidence to believe that allies of disgraced ex-FBI Director James Comey and California Senator Adam Schiff leaked classified information to friendly reporters at The New York Times and The Washington Post.
That classified information – which was itself based on fake intelligence – fueled Pulitzer-winning stories that falsely portrayed Donald Trump as a Kremlin pawn. As RCI reports, while the identities of the leakers have long been hidden, an analysis of the documents strongly suggests that people close to Comey and Schiff, among others, were feeding reporters information to advance the Russiagate hoax.
One of the most striking disclosures involves Schiff, who notably led Democrats’ first failed impeachment effort against Trump while he was still a member of the House. FBI interview summaries reviewed by RCI show that a longtime committee staffer told agents that Schiff personally authorized releasing classified information to damage Trump. Although the name is redacted, multiple sources told RCI the staffer was Robert Minehart, a veteran aide who had served Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee since 2005.
The informant alleged that Schiff told aides to create a “Russia team” in early 2017. Its purpose was to leak material that could “topple the administration.” The staffer even said he documented a February 2017 meeting where Schiff allegedly gave the order by emailing himself a memo the next day.
The FBI files describe Schiff staff members allegedly passing leaks through spouses and friends to obscure the source, a practice that blurred the lines between congressional oversight and partisan media operations. Schiff has “categorically” denied the allegation, with his office dismissing the informant as a “disgruntled former staffer.” But FBI records show the individual made his claims while still employed, and colleagues vouched for his professionalism.
The allegations fit Schiff’s posture at the time. As the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee during the beginnings of Russiagate, he became a fixture on television arguing that Trump was compromised, playing a very public role in a Democrat-media hoax that hung like a dark cloud over the first three years of Trump’s presidency.
Also, according to RCI, Comey allies, including former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, arranged several “investigator-level” briefings with Times editors in spring 2017 where classified information was discussed.
The resulting coverage flatteringly portrayed Comey as “by the book” and above politics, even though later investigations found serious misconduct in both the Clinton email probe and the Trump-Russia investigation.
The classified material that Comey and Schiff staffers allegedly leaked to the media played a pivotal role in propping up the fake Russiagate narrative. The New York Times and The Washington Post were the primary outlets responsible for repeating every lie illegally fed to them by intelligence agency officials and Democrat staffers as gospel truth – coverage for which they received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize. As many critics have noted, the outlets have not corrected the record or identified the officials who misled them and the public.
The FBI, meanwhile, opened seven leak investigations in 2017, targeting figures from Schiff and fellow California Democrat Eric Swalwell to senior Obama officials. None led to prosecutions. But those investigations – led by some of the same individuals who were allegedly involved in releasing the classified information in the first place – limited subpoenas, ignored encrypted apps, and gave lawmakers a pass for potentially breaking the law under an astonishingly loose interpretation of the “speech or debate” clause of the Constitution. The bureau effectively hobbled its own investigations to protect insiders.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reopened the issue by declassifying hundreds of pages of FBI files, bringing Russiagate back into the public eye.
But the legacy outlets which once drove the Russiagate hoax have offered little coverage of these new disclosures – even though they more than anyone else have a responsibility to correct the record. The Post and Times, which had no problem receiving Pulitzers for their reporting, have been totally silent.
But while the editorial boards of those papers have been mute, former reporters have not. Ex-Washington Post reporter Susan Schmidt told RCI that the new documents are “slam-dunk evidence of a conspiracy.” Former Times Pulitzer winner Jeff Gerth, meanwhile, argued that the press refuses to revisit its coverage because doing so would be seen as helping Trump.
Regardless, the true legacy of Russiagate is the wreckage left behind: the erosion of public trust in elections, the FBI, and the press. The real collusion had nothing to do with Russia at all, but had everything to do with public servants who abused their power to illegally leak fake intelligence to the press to try to rig an election – and it almost worked.
The danger now is that Washington shrugs and moves on, as it has with so many other scandals. Massive breaches of trust are exposed, yet no one in power pays a real price. If the officials and enablers behind it skate free, the damage will deepen. Americans will conclude, with reason, that there are two systems of justice — one for insiders, and one for everyone else.
Accountability matters now more than ever. The declassified files give us a roadmap. Whether prosecutors have the courage to follow it will determine if the country sees long-overdue perp walks, or just another cover-up to protect the powerful.
Sarah Katherine Sisk is a proud Hillsdale College alumna and a master’s student in economics at George Mason University. You can follow her on X @SKSisk76.
PROSECUTE Schiff, or our government loses all credibility.
The happy smile mask has slipped off the evil face of the bureaucratic deep state.
If this what the left claims “saving democracy” looks like, it’s time for the people to save it from them.
We the People must stand up now.
Distrust in the system is growing—and for good reason.
When the entire left fights elections, not at the ballot box but in courtrooms and deep state manipulations, it betrays democratic norms.
The choice is clear: no more silent complicity. It’s time for reasonable people to abandon the democrat deep state as a governing force because it continues to subvert the vote of every American.
Encourage your community: speak out, resign membership, vote based on principles, not partisanship.
If lawfare and deep state tactics become acceptable, we lose self-government altogether.
This Republic doesn’t survive by muzzling opponents or co-opting agencies.
The rule of law must prevail for the survival of our freedom. We cannot let deception win.
History, including scripture, warns about internal decay. Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked bear rule, the people mourn.”
The perps have been well-known by people who pay attention for several years. Proof is always necessary. The AG has it all. The question is, “How long will it take to actually bring these people to justice – especially since they are still out there doing damage.”
Is there ever in our history, a man that could withstand this kind of cruel treatment, except our President, Trump? I can think of no other who has been so withstood so vast evil.
Now the consequences for we the people. Stop all pensions, force the Clintons to pay back the cost of the Mueller investigation, and force the leakers to the press, to resign their offices, and Mr. Comey and President Obama stand trial. This will continue to happen if nothing is done, IMO.We should never have a “Deep State”.
Democrats still appear to be immune from prosecution for any crime at any time.
All we get on this subject is talk talk talk talk talk. If the evidence is so damning, why are the perpetrators not being prosecuted? And someone like Adam Schiff just keeps on spouting nothing but lies about nearly everything. If there truly is so much wrong-doing, why do we continue to see no justice?
The shame….
RUSSIAGATE: Circa 2017
And, eight going on nine years after the fact there are still no indictments or arrests of these elites involved.
Had it been the “average Jane or Joe” that pulled something like this and certainly by this time, they would have been rotting away under some undisclosed, gated penal facility, patrolled with armed guards in the worst conditions imaginable (think about what they put the 06 January folks through).
Just one indictment to wipe the smug smiles off of their faces would be enough for this patriot to have the faith in the system again.
Schiff, Comey,Swalwell and Nadler (Humpty) should all do jail time.
They have cost taxpayers millions of dollars in fake investigations and impeachments.
Clinton, Obummer, Joebama, pencil-neck Schiff, etc. ALL need to be indicted, but I’m not hopeful. They all have a “D” by their names, so they’re immune from being held accountable.
And still NO indictments,,,,,,
I remember some people went to jail over Watergate? I think some people should be going to jail over this.
I remember all the antics of Schiff and freinds during those years . I was amazed at just how arrogant Schiff was . Schiff and his friends coordinated together in an effort to get the ball rolling toward impeachment . They used the impeachment illegally in an attempt to removed Trump from office . And , using the impeachment clause illegally means they used the “color of Law“ to make it look like they were acting legally . Schiff’s and company’s illegal act in the impoeachment was actually an attempted coup d’etat . They tried to overthrow the government of the United States . They are criminals needing conviction and jail .
The only real question: WHY are these criminals not under indictment and in custody awaiting trial????? Americans, for the good of the country, need to know that there is EQUAL justice and that our Constitution and legal system work. Without it, the current unhealthy distrust of all things government will not just continue, but worsen. All ingredients needed to ensure the sentiments that historically drove populations to rise against their governments.
Without accountability for the fake russiagate conspiracy, we are operating as a third world nation, throwing our Constitution and Laws to the wind. Russiagate was and is a very serious coup that kept President Trump from doing his job while the deep state continued to demolish our Constitution, Bill of Rights, Laws, Sovereignty, and our Freedoms. These TREASONOUS acts need to be corrected with very harsh punishment immediately in order to curtail this from ever happening again.
So what? You cannot honestly believe that any action will be taken because no action has been taken against the rest of the previous administration, perverts, liars, and cheats.
”Ultimately, Russiagate was exposed as a hoax: an abuse of power by partisan actors in government and media who weaponized false allegations to try to undermine a duly elected president.” If this is true, then why aren’t all characters involved in this illegal hoax in prison now? The havoc this hoax unleashed on the American people and an innocent man has been abhorrent!! WHY AREN’T EVERY PERSON WHO PERPETRATED THIS EVIL AND FAR REACHING FAKE, GAME CHANGING SLANDER BEING SERIOUSLY INVESTIGATED? This is why “we, the people” cannot trust ANYTHING the far left says. They not only have no message, they are supporting a socialist/communist Mamdani to run NYC!
Am I the only one who has a million questions about the many errors during the Obama eight year takeover, the release of a deadly pandemic on our country, followed by four years of basically no president at all? I also question the veracity of their hoax called January 6. We basically set up a terrorist Nation when Afghanistan fell during Biden’s inept and mistaken regime. And China was given access to Bagram AF Base where they took and got to examine our latest technology.
Am I the only one with a million questions why so many people on the left who allowed Christopher Steven’s, perhaps our best Ambassador, to die with several brave men who were told not to respond to this situation in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 and Obama ran around everywhere for weeks blaming it on a (fake) video inciting the Libyans to attack the ambassador’s home? I watched so much chaos happen in this country for nearly a decade and a half after Obama took office. I KNEW things were rotten.
Why, with everything I mentioned here, is not one person being held accountable for the many mistakes and lies and slight of hand this country was fed by the corrupt media? They put INNOCENT people in jail for something I suspect was a set up by the corrupt left on January 6. We heard about it ad nauseum for many years!! A really terrible hoax!! The legacy media has been allowed to be free with love for the evildoers while the innocent were sent to jail. I’d say the left IS THE FACIST AND RACIST elements in the USA!
Why do I feel like nobody is listening, or putting the blame right smack where it belongs – AOC, BERNIE SANDERS, JASMIN CROCKETT, MAMDANI, CORY BOOKER, HAKEEM JEFFRIES, ETC. ETC. ETC. Why are these big mouthed, so very wrong liberal hacks being allowed to spew their hate-filled messages, thus continuing the slight of hand Obama administration even today? We MUST not allow this nonsense to continue. And this information MUST be released and dealt with swiftly.
Justice is desperately needed to cut these communists at their knees! Or, in a little over three years, we could be facing the end of America the beautiful! Land that I love! All of America needs to wake up and pay attention!! And VOTE OUT UPCOMING SOCIALISM!!
Knew it all the time. None of it made sense to me. It’s exactly why I left the Democratic party, and I ‘m NEVER going back. It will be a cold day in hell before I waste my vote on these beyond evil politicians.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me that these people can be held accountable? I know it can’t be considered treason because we aren’t “at war”, but we are at war with the media and these traitors to our country!!! How can there be a statute of limitations on breaking the law, disclosing classified info and actually undermining the government of the US? No wonder Hegseth is limiting journalists at the Dept of War!
Adam Schiff is a traitor and should be incarcerated.
Prosecution must happen to all those who were involved in this hoax.
President Trump might not want to exact revenge against these traitors but I sure would like to see some accountability. None of the people involved should be allowed to ever hold office in the government again and if holding one now should be removed and stripped of any benefits. There should be some serious jail time for these traitors. Lets not forget ‘San Fran Nan’ with the criminals. She can share a cell with pumpkin head shifty schiff, and cow clinton.
The sad and sick part of it is this: Deep State is currently just biding its time. Democrats are still doing what they can to thwart the President and his administration’s efforts to fix what they have broken.
I am not surprised at this revelation at all, those responsible, SHOULD GO TO PRISON, and be kept there for a reasonable time. but, like you, Ms. Sisk, I doubt if the lying, dishonest, creeps will ever see the inside of a PRISON. IT IS OUTRAGEOUS.
As usual the MSM decided what the sheep of our country should know, they have led us around by the nose for decades with misdirection and left wing propaganda. Be a thinker, question everything you see or hear from MSM……..don’t be a sheep.
So, when if ever are the Russia-gate gang going to face justice?When is do-nothing Bondi going to do ANYTHING?
The whole DIMM party undertook the most CORRUPT administration in history! They make Grant, Harding, and Nixon look like amateurs! Like a fish rots from the head down, so did the last administration! How could any sentient being vote for SCHITT to be their senator? We know how Biden got in; through illegals changes in voting laws and opaque counting rooms. And, of course, the stinking media repeated the lies, knowing they were lies!
Do nothing repubs just stand by and do as they always do nothing. Time for dems to get some accountability and consequences. JMO
Justice, drive resignations, jail!
You’d think that one of these FAKE NEWS reporters, who was part of this hoax, would see this as a life changing article and blow the whistle on the whole charade.
If there is no prosecution this criminal activity will become the norm for political parties against anyone in the opposition party. We will no longer have a constitutional government
What execrable persons are Comey and Schiff. I hope thorough investigations lead to charges and conviction, even if it takes the whole of Trump’s term. That would be worth it.
Patrick Lencioni wrote a book called The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Those dysfunctions are:
# 4 resonates with us Americans. We are 8 months into this new administration. They are doing a heck of a job. We are simply fast-food Americans who want it all now.
Thank You AMAC: C.S. Lewis in his customary wit and humor said: “How monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerors have been: how gloriously different the saints.”
And Edmund Burke concludes with: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
The Trump team is working harder than anybody in America!
Nothing will happen. Why? High officials are involved. A president of the United States. An FBI director. Representatives in the House. Some senators. Obama’s cabinet members etc etc. And Soros money is keeping witnesses silent. How much money have we taxpayers paid to create this Hoax and how much money with the Mueller investigation and later Durham’s report. And still nobody is arrested, tried and convicted. This is so big. The media is involved. Anytime you read an article about President Trump. They always mention it was alleged in 2017. Or it was falsely reported by Trump. It is all in the wording to the people to control them. We on the right know the truth when you tell the democrats the first thing they say where was that published and when. You can’t convince these brainwashed people of anything. Tulsi Gabbard released pages and pages they said that was her interpretation of the facts. Nothing to see here. Biden took millions of dollars from the mayor of Moscow. From the Ukraine and China. He has not been charged with anything. We have the checks to prove it and witnesses. And still the man hasn’t been charged or his family members. Evil is as evil does. President Trump warned the world yesterday at the UN about the migration taking place all over the world. That it will destroy all countries, their culture and economy. England is the example country what is coming to every country in the world. You have a spare bedroom you will be taxed 50 pounds. You cannot fly more than twice a year. You do it anyway thousand pound fine. You want to pick up grandma at the airport 50 pounds to go into the airport. Withdrawing money from the ATM no more than 200 pound a month. They are instituting Shiria law. 13,000 people have been arrested for saying their opinion on social media. 3 million people demonstrated in London against migration and still the govt goes on with governing for the migrants against the citizens. Sounds familiar? Listen to what Pritzker and Newsom and other prominent Democrats are saying. They are making laws and using rhetoric corresponding with what is and has happened in England and is happening in Europe as well. President Trump is the one standing to stop this from happening here. Why are they otherwise working so hard to get rid of him? Wake up America. You have been warned.
WHEN , WHEN is anyone of these people ever going to pay a steep price for what they did ?? All I ever here is talk talk talk …. nothing ever happens! I’m losing faith that there will ever be accountability ! DO SOMETHING!!!
Either Schiff goes away to the SuperMax for the rest of his life, or our country will continue to go to the Marxist dogs. There need to be consequences for Schiff’s part in this insurrection!
Hillary continues her reign as the insane & bitter wicked witch of the East, continuing to bad mouth Pres. Trump and Republicans and plot God knows what…. Comey is living large off his $10M book deal and equally expensive $+ speeches, still getting a govt. pension. McCabe and his cadre of nasty little elves are free and still collecting government pensions for their “work.” Brennan and buddy, perjured Clapper, along with adulterers Strzok & Paige are free, still collecting their pensions and still spewing their sneering lies. Smarmy, fabricating liar Schiff was promoted from the House to the Senate by unbelievably partisan & stupid California voters…. This is THE list, a collective of the worst of humanity, the most corrupt bad hombres, who invaded our federal government and still run free to continue to do damage. If the Republicans now in charge, the motivated, smartest ones out there, do not get these people into court and prosecute them all for treason, perjury and worse with the full strength of the law, we don’t live in a democratic republic with a functioning Constitution. Hang ’em high!
They and the media involved directly have committed treason and should be prosecuted for it. The names need to be brought out into the open. Also, it was a foreigner from England that was directly involved in trying to unseat our government, and he should be brought ot the US to face charges of treason and sedition against our country. All of them are guilty of egregious offenses against our country and against our Constitution. All should be publicly punished for their roles in trying to overthrow the government of our country. Time to get tough on these criminals.
Judgement day… has arrived. I trust that Trump has a final chapter to write. Your article brings a sense of resolve to see the whole of the truth on this subject presented and brought to light. For me, it also gives hope that justice is at work behind the scenes and that all other recent anomalies will be revealed/reconciled in due time. Keeping the faith.
As for corrupt media helping Trump by correcting the record, it’s about time they give up their hatred and fulfill their duty to the public.
QUIT calling it Russiagate its the Trump Coup
Schiff. Hillary. Schiff. Hillary. Schiff. Hillary. Schiff. Hillary. Over and Over. And OVER and OVER. AND OVER AND OVER. Golly Gee. If investigations never end, does nothing happen? Hmmm…
When will these corrupt officials be held accountable and spend time in prison for all the insider trading, lack of criminal prosecution and the list goes on and on? The Republicans seem unable to hold people accountable just like the democrats with criminals.
What thoughts?! the Clintons are just as dirty as they were in 2016!
They are just telling us this so we will think something will be done about it. I have had almost 5 years of NOTHING being done. No arrests. NOTHING. I would rather you say nothing than to rub our faces in the fact that they have broken the law and are getting away with us while the OTHER half of the US is getting punished swiftly if we don’t pay our taxes, or someone breaks a traffic law. Just stop talking about it. I am MAGA ALL THE WAY! And I am sick of seeing these articles and watching them go on unbothered by it.
I’m 72yrs old, never have I seen the corruption in government that we are seeing now. I work out daily strength training and cardio. just lock me in a closet with that pencil necked MF’er for five minutes and that little weaselly pimp will confess everything, I promise.
Well when are these clowns going to be held accountable.
Another bombshell another dud, target laughing it’s head off.
If anything in this world demanded arrests and serious prosecution & long jail time, IT IS THIS.
jail clinton obuma swalhell shiffless page comay strozek maybe they get firerin squad