Grand Jury Investigation Into Allegations of Political Smear Against Trump Initiated

The Trump-Russia probe takes a new turn as a grand jury investigation unfolds, focusing on claims surrounding the politicization of intelligence.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed prosecutors to commence grand jury hearings concerning accusations that political adversaries of Donald Trump may have colluded to unjustly label him as a collaborator with Russia during the 2016 presidential election campaign. As reported by CBS News, the evidence will be presented before a grand jury, who will evaluate whether to escalate the matter with formal charges, which remain unspecified at this time.

Trump successfully claimed victory in the 2016 election against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, consistently alleging that accusations from his political opposition regarding Russian ties were fabricated. Recently, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard accused former President Barack Obama and his national security team of orchestrating a "years-long coup" against Trump by weaponizing intelligence on Russian interference to unjustly associate Trump with Russian interests. In response, Trump labeled Obama’s actions as “treasonous,” while a representative for Obama characterized Trump's assertions as "bizarre."

Democrats have maintained that Gabbard's claims do not invalidate the consensus of US intelligence which concluded in January 2017 that Russia intended to disrupt Clinton's campaign and bolster Trump's electoral prospects. A bipartisan report from the Senate intelligence committee in 2020 also affirmed that Russia had aimed to assist Trump's candidacy.

In addition, Fox News disclosed last month that former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey are facing criminal scrutiny related to the Trump-Russia inquiry. Both have denied any misconduct and claim Trump is attempting to undermine the judicial process.

The investigation into Trump from his own Justice Department cast a shadow over half of his presidency, culminating in the Mueller report, which found insufficient evidence of conspiracy between Trump and the Kremlin. No charges were issued related to such collusion.

The topic regained traction last week with the declassification of an appendix from another Justice Department probe, revealing 29 pages from Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation. These pages cite a memo from a US intelligence source stating that Clinton had authorized a plan to discredit Trump as a Russian collaborator. Durham highlights emails possibly obtained by Russian hackers from sources connected to liberal benefactor George Soros. One email sent by Leonard Benardo, vice-president of Open Society Foundations, discussed a strategy to smear both Putin and Trump, implying it would facilitate a favorable post-convention surge.

While political smears are not unlawful, Trump’s supporters argue that if the email is authentic, it hints at possible involvement from federal investigators in a disinformation campaign. However, Durham’s investigation found no evidence of a conspiracy involving the FBI.

Benardo testified to Durham, stating that he couldn’t recall drafting the email, while acknowledging some phrases sounded familiar. Likewise, special counsel Smith expressed a lack of memory regarding the email from Benardo. Durham’s main report, released in 2023, criticized the initial FBI investigation for lacking thorough analysis and relying heavily on unverified intelligence.

US authorities concluded that the Russian interference included strategies such as social media bot networks and hacking Democratic communications but ultimately determined that its influence was likely minimal and did not alter the election's outcomes.