The White House on Wednesday released newly declassified FBI records showing the bureau opened a criminal and counterintelligence investigation into whether President Donald Trump may have acted on behalf of Russia following his 2017 dismissal of FBI Director James Comey.
The investigation, code-named “Oxferd Comma,” was opened May 16, 2017, as a component of the FBI’s broader Crossfire Hurricane investigation into possible connections between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government.
The newly released records state that investigators sought to determine whether Trump had been directed, controlled, or influenced by Russia and whether his actions posed a national security threat or violated federal law.
According to the opening communication, the FBI also examined whether Trump or other individuals had obstructed or conspired to obstruct an FBI investigation.
The records identified Comey’s firing as a factor in the bureau’s concerns, citing public explanations surrounding the dismissal that investigators believed could suggest the Russia investigation played a role in the decision, Just the News Editor in Chief John Solomon reported.
The case was classified as a sensitive investigative matter. An administration official said the designation generally limited the number of FBI personnel who could access information about the investigation.
Then Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein were informed after the investigation was opened.
Oxferd Comma was later incorporated into Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
Rosenstein appointed Mueller after Comey’s dismissal to examine Russian interference in the 2016 election, possible links between Russia and the Trump campaign, and related matters.
Mueller’s final report did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government.
The newly declassified records show Oxferd Comma was closed April 9, 2019, shortly after Mueller completed his investigation.
The closing communication referenced the special counsel’s confidential report detailing prosecution and declination decisions. Trump was not charged as part of Mueller’s investigation.
An administration official said FBI information available when Oxferd Comma was opened had largely undermined allegations that Trump or his campaign had coordinated with Russia.
The official said the evidence available to the FBI did not support the allegation that Trump was acting on Putin’s behalf, according to CBS News.
Previously released FBI records also documented internal skepticism about the collusion allegations.
In a May 19, 2017, text message, then-Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok wrote that he was concerned there was “no big there there.”
FBI agent William Barnett later told investigators that, by early 2017, he had not found evidence that the Trump campaign had colluded with the Russian government.
The Crossfire Hurricane investigation was later reviewed by Special Counsel John Durham.
In his 2023 report, Durham concluded the FBI should not have opened a full investigation based on the information available at the time and found that the bureau had failed to apply the same level of analytical rigor it used in other investigations.
The White House Government Transparency Task Force identified and declassified the Oxferd Comma records.
Their release comes as federal prosecutors in Florida reportedly examine whether actions by the FBI, Justice Department, and intelligence agencies may have violated the civil rights of Trump and his supporters through investigations that lacked sufficient evidence.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the FBI’s investigations into his campaign and presidency.
The newly released records provide additional details about the bureau’s decision to investigate whether the president’s firing of Comey was connected to Russian influence or potential obstruction.
