Those behind the Russian collusion hoax

 The Federalist Wire:

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From the very start, the so-called “Russia collusion” narrative surrounding Donald Trump was a house of cards built on shaky ground. It was a story pushed by political operatives, amplified by a compliant media, and propped up by a handful of questionable figures within the FBI. At the center of this farce was Stefan Halper, a longtime FBI informant whose recently declassified records reveal a troubling tale of financial incentives, dubious claims, and an agency all too willing to overlook red flags in its pursuit of a predetermined outcome. The nearly 700 pages of documents, obtained by Just the News after President Trump ordered their release at the onset of his second term, paint a damning picture of a probe—codenamed Crossfire Hurricane—that was rotten from its roots.

These documents, turned over by FBI Director Kash Patel to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, expose Halper as a key player in the FBI’s effort to tie Trump and his associates to Russia during the 2016 election and beyond. Halper, a Pentagon consultant and academic, wasn’t acting out of pure patriotism. The records show he pocketed a staggering $1,181,064.44 from the FBI between 1991 and early 2017, including $70,000 between August 2016 and February 2017—a period that neatly aligns with his work targeting Trump’s campaign, the election, and Trump’s inauguration. The FBI’s own files admit Halper’s motivation included “monetary compensation” alongside vague nods to “patriotism/ideology.” This wasn’t a selfless whistleblower; this was a man cashing checks while feeding the FBI a narrative that didn’t hold up.

One of Halper’s most sensational claims landed like a bombshell in the summer of 2016, when he alleged that Mike Flynn, then a three-star general leading the Defense Intelligence Agency, had left a 2014 Cambridge University event alone with Russian scholar Svetlana Lokhova. The implication was clear: Flynn was cozying up to Moscow. The problem? FBI agents later determined Halper’s story was “not plausible” and “not accurate.” Yet, instead of cutting ties with Halper, the FBI kept him on the payroll and vouched for his credibility as a confidential human source codenamed “Mitch.” A March 2017 memo from the FBI’s Validation Management Unit even declared, “VMU assesses it is likely HALPER is suitable for continued operation, based on his or her authenticity, reliability, and control.” No mention was made of the Flynn-Lokhova falsehood, despite internal concerns.

The FBI’s willingness to overlook Halper’s inaccuracies raises serious questions about the integrity of Crossfire Hurricane. William Barnett, the agent handling Flynn’s case in 2016 and 2017, was blunt in his assessment of Halper’s claims. After checking with U.S. and foreign intelligence officials, Barnett found no evidence to support the Lokhova story. “Intelligence analysts did not locate information to corroborate this reporting,” he told prosecutors in 2020, adding that he found the idea of Flynn leaving an event unaccompanied “not plausible.” Yet the FBI pressed forward, investigating Flynn relentlessly while Halper continued to collect payments.

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The Russia, Russia, Russia story was one of the biggest political hoaxes in recent history.  I suspect it was a product of the desperation of the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democrats trying to salvage an election.  It was a total fraud that was completely without merit.  I am surprised that those responsible for it have not been prosecuted.

See also:

Barack Obama and Joe Biden implicated in Russian collusion scheme according to bombshell report

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 For years, Democrats hammered President Donald Trump with accusations of Russian collusion, spinning a narrative that painted him as a Kremlin puppet. Yet, when the dust settled, their own track record reveals a troubling pattern of cozying up to Russia for personal and political gain. While they cried foul over invented conspiracies, key party figures quietly enriched themselves through Moscow’s oligarchs and business deals, exposing a hypocrisy that undermines their moral posturing.

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