Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday authorized the convening of a federal grand jury to examine potential criminal charges against former Obama administration officials tied to what Republicans call the Trump-Russia “hoax.”
The order directs an unnamed federal prosecutor to begin presenting evidence to grand jurors related to the alleged conspiracy to link President Donald Trump falsely to Russia ahead of the 2016 election, according to a source familiar with the effort.
The move follows a wave of criminal referrals submitted last month by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to the Justice Department, targeting former President Barack Obama, former CIA Director John Brennan, and ex-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Gabbard accused the officials of illegally conspiring to fabricate links between Trump and the Russian government.
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Bondi’s directive marks a sharp escalation in the Trump administration’s effort to bring criminal charges against those involved in what it views as a politically motivated misuse of federal power.
Last week, the declassified annex to former Special Counsel John Durham’s final report was made public by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA). Grassley described the annex as evidence that the FBI ignored warnings from intelligence agencies that the Steele dossier was disinformation originating from the Clinton campaign.
This is a developing story and will be updated.