Overview
- The White House published declassified FBI records on Wednesday that show an electronic memo opening a May 16, 2017, subcomponent investigation code-named Oxferd Comma to examine whether President Trump acted on behalf of Russia when he fired FBI Director James Comey.
- The opening memo was approved by then-FBI General Counsel James A. Baker and Assistant Director William Priestap and said the inquiry would assess whether Trump was directed by or coordinated activities with the Russian government and whether obstruction occurred.
- Contemporaneous FBI notes and messages in the records show internal skepticism about the strength of the evidence, including a May 19, 2017, text from then-deputy assistant director Peter Strzok saying he had a “gut sense” there was “no big there there,” and agent William Barnett raising doubts.
- The files confirm Oxferd Comma was folded into Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe and was closed on April 9, 2019, without charges against the president, while later reviews such as the 2023 Durham report criticized investigative shortcomings.
- The documents were posted by the White House Government Transparency Task Force and briefed publicly by John Solomon, and the release is being highlighted by Trump allies as material that could feed ongoing or new DOJ inquiries and congressional scrutiny.