The White House released declassified information indicating that the FBI opened an investigation into whether President Trump acted as an asset for Russia when he fired FBI Director James Comey. An administration official stated that this theory lacked supporting evidence. This investigation, referred to as Oxferd Comma, was part of the broader Crossfire Hurricane probe into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. The investigation was initiated following Trump's decision to dismiss Comey in May 2017.
The case was classified as sensitive to limit its exposure to other agents. The agents involved believed it was the least intrusive way to address a serious national security concern. Oxferd Comma was later incorporated into Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, which ultimately found no merit in the claims against Trump regarding collusion with Russia. The official noted that evidence available at the time debunked the notion that Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia.
Trump's firing of Comey was initially justified by the White House as a response to Comey's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails. However, Mueller's report suggested that Trump was frustrated with Comey for not publicly stating that he was not under investigation for ties to Russia. Following Comey's dismissal, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election and any connections to the Trump campaign.
Mueller's investigation concluded that there was no evidence of conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, although it noted some contacts with individuals linked to the Russian government. Trump has consistently criticized the FBI and intelligence agencies for their investigations into his presidency and has expressed intentions to initiate his own probes. He has also publicly criticized Comey, while Comey has referred to Trump as morally unfit for the presidency. Earlier this year, Comey faced charges related to threatening Trump, which he claims are part of a vindictive prosecution, a claim the Justice Department denies.