President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order directing the declassification of FBI files connected to the inquiry into his 2016 campaign's potential ties to Russia, The Hill has reported.
The memorandum calls for the declassification of "all files related to Crossfire Hurricane investigation," White House staff secretary Will Scharf said, who added that "we believe that it's long past time for the American people to have a full and complete understanding of what exactly is in those files."
Trump emphasized as he signed the memorandum that "this was total weaponization. It's a disgrace … but now you'll be able to see for yourselves."
The FBI opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation in July 2016 to look into whether members of Trump's campaign were coordinating with Russian officials. The investigation preceded the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel.
In his report following the inquiry, The Hill reported that Mueller said he did not establish that Trump or members of his campaign coordinated or conspired with Russian officials to affect the 2016 presidential election, but that he and his team declined to reach a conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice.
For years, Trump and his supporters have derided the legitimacy of the FBI's investigation of his campaign, arguing that it was based merely on political motivations.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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