Newly declassified documents released by the White House have shed light on the origins of the FBI's investigation into former President Donald Trump's ties to Russia. The documents indicate that on May 16, 2017, the FBI opened a formal investigation into whether the president "is or was directed by, controlled by, and/or coordinated activities with" Vladimir Putin's Russia, and if he had "obstructed and/or conspired to obstruct" the bureau's own inquiry.
The opening communication for this investigation lists FBI General Counsel James Baker and Counterintelligence Division Assistant Director E.W. "Bill" Priestap as the approving officials. The probe was initiated at Priestap's direction, in consultation with Baker's Office of General Counsel. Then-Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe reportedly notified Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein of the investigation.
The following day, May 17, Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel to lead the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The FBI's justification for the probe, according to the newly released documents, rested on "predetermined criteria established by the Crossfire Hurricane investigative team" based on "reliable lead information."
Key figures within the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, including Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page, are noted in connection with the inquiry. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz previously stated that a message exchanged between Strzok and Page, where Page asked if Trump would become president and Strzok replied, "No. No he won't. We'll stop it," implied a willingness to take official action to influence electoral outcomes.
While the FBI previously had opened Crossfire Hurricane in July 2016 to investigate four Trump campaign associates—George Papadopoulos, Carter Page, Paul Manafort, and Michael Flynn—the newly declassified document reveals a more significant step taken 10 months later: a full investigation into the sitting president himself. The documents do not specify who drafted the opening communication or who formulated, reviewed, or supplied the lead information used to initiate the probe into the president.
This escalation in the investigation occurred despite later findings by the Justice Department's Inspector General. An earlier report by Horowitz uncovered 17 significant inaccuracies and omissions in the FISA applications used to surveil Carter Page, which the FISA court stated made the case for probable cause appear stronger than it was and indicated that two surveillance authorizations were not valid.
Ultimately, Mueller's investigation concluded that "the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government" was not established, nor was there substantiation for claims that President Trump was directed or controlled by Russia. The newly released documents highlight the need for further scrutiny into the officials who initiated and conducted the investigation into the Trump campaign and the president.