Kathrine Frich
Agents wanted to find out if the president was acting as an asset for Russia.
When a high-level government worker loses their job, the fallout usually stays within the walls of an office.
Sometimes, though, a single firing triggers a massive chain reaction behind closed doors.
A newly revealed file shows just how far investigators went after one high-profile dismissal.
A hidden operation
Newly declassified documents show that the FBI opened a highly classified investigation into Donald Trump back in 2017. The secret operation was codenamed Oxferd Comma, according to recent media reports.
Agents wanted to find out if the president was acting as an asset for Russia. This probe began right after Trump fired FBI director James Comey in May of that year.
A White House official explained that the operation was completely hidden from other agents. They designated the case as sensitive to keep it off the regular books.
The same official noted that agents believed this quiet approach was the “least intrusive” way to handle a potential national security risk.
Looking for proof
The secret case eventually became part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his much larger Russia investigation. According to the White House cited by Daily Express, the initial probe lacked solid proof.
“I was unaware that the predicate for the obstruction included a claim that Donald Trump was somehow acting on behalf of Vladimir Putin,” the White House official said.
The official added that the bureau had already looked into the matter thoroughly before passing it along.
“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,” the official stated.
The bitter aftermath
Mueller ultimately concluded his massive investigation without finding that the Trump campaign “conspired or coordinated” with the Russian government.
The bad blood between the former president and Comey has only grown since the initial dismissal. Trump has repeatedly called his former FBI director a “dirty cop” in public statements.
Comey has fired back with his own harsh words over the years. He has publicly called Trump “morally unfit” for the highest office in the country.
The tension reached a strange peak earlier this year. Authorities charged Comey with threatening the president over a social media photo showing seashells arranged to spell “86 47”, reports show. Comey denies any wrongdoing and claims the prosecution is vindictive.
Sources: Daily Express, The White House
