**US Attorney General Pam Bondi has initiated grand jury hearings to examine allegations of conspiracy related to the Trump-Russia collusion accusations ahead of the 2016 presidential election.**
**Grand Jury Hearings Ordered by US Attorney General in Trump-Russia Allegations**
**Grand Jury Hearings Ordered by US Attorney General in Trump-Russia Allegations**
**Ongoing legal scrutiny surrounding Trump as conspiracy claims arise**
In a significant development on the legal front, US Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered prosecutors to commence grand jury hearings focusing on allegations that political adversaries of Donald Trump conspired to falsely accuse him of colluding with Russia during the 2016 presidential election campaign. Reports from CBS News indicate that evidence will be presented to the grand jury, which consists of public members responsible for determining whether to file formal charges. However, the specifics of potential charges or the identities of those who may face charges remain uncertain.
Trump, who won the presidency during the 2016 election against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, has consistently claimed that he was the victim of a smear campaign connected to the so-called Russiagate allegations. Recently, Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence, accused the Obama administration of conducting a prolonged campaign against Trump, asserting that intelligence regarding Russian interference in the election had been manipulated to unjustly link Trump to Russia. In response, Trump branded Obama's actions as "treason," a characterisation dismissed by an Obama spokesperson as "bizarre."
Democratic officials have refuted Gabbard's claims, emphasizing that they do not negate a 2017 US intelligence assessment asserting that Russia indeed attempted to undermine Clinton's campaign while boosting Trump's chances. A bipartisan Senate investigation in 2020 also corroborated findings that Russia sought to aid Trump's campaign.
Reports from Fox News have revealed that former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey are currently under investigation concerning the Trump-Russia probe. Both Brennan and Comey have denied any wrongdoing, insisting that Trump has undermined the justice system.
The investigation into Trump became a prolonged point of contention during his presidency, with findings from the Mueller report ultimately concluding that there was no evidence of Trump or his campaign colluding with the Kremlin, leading to no charges being filed. The discussion around Russiagate gained renewed attention following the declassification of an appendix from a recent justice department probe, featuring a memorandum asserting that Clinton had approved a plan to label Trump as a Russian asset.
The appendix includes an email attributed to Leonard Benardo, a senior figure at the Open Society Foundations, which reportedly discusses strategies to "demonize Putin and Trump." While such political tactics are not illegal, Trump’s allies interpreted the email as potential evidence of a conspiracy involving federal investigators, despite Durham’s inquiry finding no definitive proof of an FBI conspiracy.
Durham, whose investigative report published earlier this year criticized the initial FBI probe’s lack of rigor and reliance on unverified intelligence, did not conclusively establish the authenticity of the mentioned emails, nor did he determine whether they had been altered by Russian agents. Despite recognizing Russian interference in the 2016 election through social media manipulation and hacking, US intelligence agencies concluded that the overall impact was minimal and did not alter the election results.
Trump, who won the presidency during the 2016 election against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, has consistently claimed that he was the victim of a smear campaign connected to the so-called Russiagate allegations. Recently, Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence, accused the Obama administration of conducting a prolonged campaign against Trump, asserting that intelligence regarding Russian interference in the election had been manipulated to unjustly link Trump to Russia. In response, Trump branded Obama's actions as "treason," a characterisation dismissed by an Obama spokesperson as "bizarre."
Democratic officials have refuted Gabbard's claims, emphasizing that they do not negate a 2017 US intelligence assessment asserting that Russia indeed attempted to undermine Clinton's campaign while boosting Trump's chances. A bipartisan Senate investigation in 2020 also corroborated findings that Russia sought to aid Trump's campaign.
Reports from Fox News have revealed that former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey are currently under investigation concerning the Trump-Russia probe. Both Brennan and Comey have denied any wrongdoing, insisting that Trump has undermined the justice system.
The investigation into Trump became a prolonged point of contention during his presidency, with findings from the Mueller report ultimately concluding that there was no evidence of Trump or his campaign colluding with the Kremlin, leading to no charges being filed. The discussion around Russiagate gained renewed attention following the declassification of an appendix from a recent justice department probe, featuring a memorandum asserting that Clinton had approved a plan to label Trump as a Russian asset.
The appendix includes an email attributed to Leonard Benardo, a senior figure at the Open Society Foundations, which reportedly discusses strategies to "demonize Putin and Trump." While such political tactics are not illegal, Trump’s allies interpreted the email as potential evidence of a conspiracy involving federal investigators, despite Durham’s inquiry finding no definitive proof of an FBI conspiracy.
Durham, whose investigative report published earlier this year criticized the initial FBI probe’s lack of rigor and reliance on unverified intelligence, did not conclusively establish the authenticity of the mentioned emails, nor did he determine whether they had been altered by Russian agents. Despite recognizing Russian interference in the 2016 election through social media manipulation and hacking, US intelligence agencies concluded that the overall impact was minimal and did not alter the election results.
