In a stunning development, the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday released the classified appendix to Special Counsel John Durham’s report, revealing that the FBI and Obama administration may have knowingly advanced a false Trump–Russia narrative based on intelligence allegedly tied to George Soros’ Open Society Foundations — even before launching the Crossfire Hurricane investigation in July 2016.
The appendix, declassified with coordination from CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Kash Patel, DNI Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and NSA Director William Hartman, sheds explosive new light on what Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is calling:
“One of the biggest political scandals and cover-ups in American history.”
Key Allegations from the Durham Appendix
Credible foreign sources indicated the FBI would play a central role in spreading the Trump–Russia narrative, before the Crossfire Hurricane probe officially began.
These sources were reportedly linked to Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF) and allegedly communicated plans to funnel anti-Trump material through FBI-connected tech firms (e.g., CrowdStrike, ThreatConnect) and mainstream media outlets.
Leaked emails, allegedly from Leonard Benardo, OSF’s Eurasia Director, reference the Clinton campaign’s strategy:
“Later the FBI will put more oil into the fire.”
“HRC approved Julie’s idea about Trump and Russian hackers hampering U.S. elections… This should distract people from her own missing email.”
Durham’s team concluded the emails were likely authentic, though possibly compiled from multiple hacks of U.S. think tanks including OSF and the Carnegie Endowment.
Durham: FBI Ignored “Clear Warning Sign”
Durham’s findings underscore that the FBI failed to scrutinize intelligence showing Clinton’s campaign may have been engineering the collusion narrative. Instead, the FBI initiated a full counterintelligence investigation into Trump’s campaign — based largely on unverified material, including the now-discredited Steele Dossier.
“Had the FBI opened Crossfire Hurricane as an assessment… this information would have been examined with a more critical eye,” Durham wrote.
Background: A Manufactured Scandal?
The appendix aligns with Ratcliffe’s 2020 declassification of former CIA Director John Brennan’s handwritten notes, which showed Brennan briefed Obama, Biden, and others on Clinton’s alleged plan to “vilify Donald Trump” by linking him to Russian interference.
Despite the CIA passing this intelligence to James Comey and Peter Strzok at the FBI, Crossfire Hurricane was launched just days later, with the Clinton-linked Steele Dossier forming “an essential part” of FISA warrant applications against Trump adviser Carter Page.
Government Response
Sen. Chuck Grassley: “These intelligence reports and related records, whether true or false, were buried for years… This was a political weaponization of our law enforcement and intelligence agencies.”
FBI Director Kash Patel: “The American people deserve the full, unfiltered truth about the Russia collusion hoax… This is one of the most shameful frauds ever perpetrated on the American public.”
CIA Director John Ratcliffe: “This was a coordinated plan to prevent and destroy Donald Trump’s presidency.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi: “DOJ and CIA are committed to truth and transparency and will support good-faith efforts by Congress to hold our government accountable.”
Soros Foundation Responds
The Open Society Foundations blasted the allegations as “outrageous falsehoods”, claiming the leaked documents are part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
“The Durham report found no wrongdoing by our staff… These accusations are reckless and dangerous,” an OSF spokesperson said.
The fact we are just now learning this is criminal. It was a coup, plain and simple. And John Durham is as dirty as Comey, Wray, Horowitz and Mueller.