A newly declassified annex to Special Counsel John Durham’s report has exposed what many are calling one of the darkest and most dangerous political plots in modern American history. At the center of the scandal is billionaire George Soros and his powerful Open Society Foundations, now directly tied to the early spread of the Trump–Russia collusion narrative. This narrative, known widely as Russiagate, dominated headlines for years and cast a cloud over Donald Trump’s presidency. But according to explosive intelligence findings, it was not an organic investigation. It was a coordinated political scheme.
What Russiagate Was Meant to Do
The purpose of the Russiagate narrative was simple: destroy Donald Trump’s credibility, paint him as a tool of the Kremlin, and ensure he would never gain or hold power. The Crossfire Hurricane investigation, which officially began on July 31, 2016, was supposedly opened to determine whether the Trump campaign had colluded with Russian operatives. But according to newly revealed documents, that investigation was already being prepared and fed by Clinton campaign operatives and Soros-affiliated figures months before it ever had a legal basis.
Senator Chuck Grassley described the operation as “one of the biggest political scandals and cover-ups in American history.” He added that “the Obama and Biden administration’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies were weaponized against President Trump.”
Soros and the Open Society Foundations
Oneof the central figures in this effort, according to the declassified annex, was George Soros. His Open Society Foundations – a global nonprofit known for funding left-wing causes—was tied directly to hacked emails that revealed a campaign to spread the Trump–Russia hoax through channels connected to the FBI and media.
One of the most damaging emails was allegedly authored by Leonard Benardo, then-regional director for Eurasia at Soros’ foundation. In that email, Benardo reportedly wrote, “During the first stage of the campaign, due to lack of direct evidence, it was decided to disseminate the necessary information through the FBI-affiliated… technical structures… in particular, the CrowdStrike and ThreatConnect companies, from where the information would then be disseminated through leading U.S. publications.”
This plan was never based on verified intelligence. It was, as Durham described, a deliberate effort to “put more oil into the fire” using the FBI and media as tools.
Another email reportedly from Benardo quoted Clinton campaign advisor Julianne Smith: “The media analysis on the DNC hacking appears solid…. Julie says it will be a long-term affair to demonize Putin and Trump. Now it is good for a post-convention bounce.” The timing is important—this was before the FBI even opened their investigation.
Benardo also allegedly wrote, “HRC [Hillary Rodham Clinton] approved Julie’s idea about Trump and Russian hackers hampering U.S. elections.” The intent, he said, was to “distract people from her own missing emails.” That distraction was desperately needed, as Clinton was under heavy fire at the time for deleting more than 30,000 government emails from her private server – some of which were later confirmed to contain highly classified material.
Coordination with Clinton and the DNC
The declassified documents also detail “confidential conversations” between Open Society figures and high-ranking Democrats, including then-DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. In one memo dated January 2016, Leonard Benardo and Jeffrey Goldstein of Soros’ foundation discussed how to downplay the Clinton Foundation pay-to-play scandal and the deleted emails by smearing Trump.
By March, they were planning how to “make the Russian play a U.S. domestic issue.” According to one memo, “the Clinton staff, with support from special services, is preparing scandalous revelations of business relations between Trump and the ‘Russian Mafia.’” The phrase “special services” was believed to refer to either U.S. intelligence agencies or contractors like Fusion GPS and ex-spy Christopher Steele.
The Durham annex concluded that “communications reviewed certainly lend at least some credence that such a plan existed.” In Durham’s words, the Clinton campaign “might have wanted or expected the FBI or other agencies to aid that effort.”
Why the FBI Looked the Other Way
Despite having the emails in hand, the FBI did not stop the scheme. In fact, they ignored intelligence that could have prevented the Crossfire Hurricane investigation from starting at all. The emails had been acquired through Russian hacking, but the CIA determined by 2017 that they were not forgeries. Analysts “well-versed in Sensitive Intelligence collection” concluded the Benardo emails were “likely authentic.”
Durham criticized the FBI for what he called “a rather startling and inexplicable failure” to treat this intelligence seriously. He wrote that the bureau “failed to act on what should have been a clear warning sign that the FBI might then be the target of an effort to manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes.”
Former FBI General Counsel James Baker was among those alarmed. According to DOJ records, he was “personally bothered” by the Clinton campaign’s involvement and worried that Attorney General Loretta Lynch would “use her position to make sure that Hillary Clinton was not prosecuted.”
Yet FBI Director James Comey dismissed the evidence. He later told the Inspector General he didn’t find the hacked emails “credible,” despite mounting evidence to the contrary.
Obama’s Role and the Clinton Plan
The annex also revealed that then-CIA Director John Brennan briefed President Obama on July 28, 2016, just days before the official launch of Crossfire Hurricane. Brennan’s handwritten notes, declassified by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, documented the meeting. The purpose: inform Obama that Clinton was working to “vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service.”
Despite that warning, no one stopped the FBI from proceeding with the investigation. In fact, Obama himself was implicated in trying to minimize damage from Clinton’s scandals. A memo from March 2016 stated, “Barack Obama sanctioned the use of all administrative levers to remove possibly negative effects from the FBI investigation of cases related to the Clinton Foundation and the email correspondence in the State Department.”
This cleared the way for Clinton’s team to launch its full assault on Trump, using intelligence agencies, Soros-backed operatives, and media allies to push a false narrative of Russian collusion.
The Aftermath and Accountability
Special Counsel Robert Mueller eventually concluded in 2019 that there was no evidence of criminal conspiracy between Trump and Russia. But by then, the damage was done. Trump’s presidency had been under constant attack, with his legitimacy questioned at every turn.
Now, years later, the full scope of the scheme is finally being revealed. The release of these documents was coordinated by Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and others determined to bring transparency to what Patel called “one of the most shameful frauds ever perpetrated on the American public.”
Grassley added, “These intelligence reports and related records, whether true or false, were buried for years. History will show that this was a political weaponization of our law enforcement and intelligence agencies.”
Despite the overwhelming evidence, Soros’ Open Society Foundations issued a statement denying any wrongdoing. “The claim that the Open Society Foundations helped orchestrate an FBI investigation is an outrageous falsehood,” a spokesperson said. “These accusations are not just reckless, they are dangerous.”
But the documents tell a different story. They expose a carefully planned, Soros-connected political operation to discredit Trump, protect Clinton, and manipulate the American public through lies, media pressure, and compromised institutions. The scheme was bold, it was hidden—and it nearly worked.
