Declassified Documents Reveal Fbi's Trump-russia Investigation Details

WHO:

Fox News - President Donald Trump criticized former FBI Director James Comey, calling him a "dirty cop" and a "crooked man."

CBS News - An administration official stated that the investigation into Trump was not backed up by evidence.

WHAT:

Fox News - The White House released declassified FBI memos showing that the bureau opened a counterintelligence investigation into whether Trump’s firing of Comey was connected to Russia.

CBS News - The investigation, known as "Oxferd Comma," was a subcomponent of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane probe into potential collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russian government.

CBS News - The investigation was marked sensitive to keep it off the books from other agents.

CBS News - Oxferd Comma was eventually rolled into Special Counsel Robert Mueller's larger probe into Trump and was later found not to have any merit.

WHEN:

Fox News - Trump fired Comey in May 2017.

CBS News - Trump fired Comey just months into his first term as president.

WHY:

Fox News - The investigation was launched due to national security concerns regarding whether Trump was a Russian asset.

CBS News - The predicate for the investigation was Trump's decision to fire Comey.

HOW:

CBS News - The agents who opened the case believed it was the least intrusive method to address a serious national security risk.

CBS News - After Comey's dismissal, then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller as a special counsel to investigate claims of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and any potential ties to the Trump campaign.

(UPDATED August 5, 2026 16:12 UTC)

President Trump has criticized former FBI Director James Comey, labeling him a "dirty cop" and a "crooked man," while an administration official has stated that the investigation into Trump lacks evidence. The White House has released declassified FBI memos revealing that a counterintelligence investigation was opened to determine if Trump's firing of Comey was linked to Russia, a probe known as "Oxferd Comma," which was part of the larger Crossfire Hurricane investigation into potential collusion with the Russian government. Ultimately, Oxferd Comma was incorporated into Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, which concluded that there was no merit to the claims against Trump.