Washington, D.C. — July 31, 2025 — Newly released documents have reignited debate over the origins of the Trump-Russia narrative, showing that Hillary Clinton personally approved a plan during the 2016 presidential race to promote allegations tying Donald Trump to Russian influence.
According to the declassified memos, the strategy was designed not only to raise doubts about Trump but also to redirect public attention from Clinton’s own troubles surrounding her private email server.
The Plan Behind the Narrative
The documents describe a proposal presented by Julianne Smith, one of Clinton’s foreign policy advisors at the time. The plan called for “raising the theme of ‘Putin’s support for Trump’” and guiding public opinion to equate Trump’s candidacy with Russian interference.
A memo summarized it bluntly: “Clinton approved a plan … to smear Donald Trump by magnifying the scandal tied to the intrusion by the Russian special services in the pre-election process to benefit the Republican candidate.”
These findings were uncovered by Special Counsel John Durham, whose years-long probe into U.S. intelligence operations during the 2016 election cycle sought to determine whether federal agencies acted appropriately in their handling of politically sensitive information.
Congressional Reaction
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who has long pressed for greater transparency surrounding the Russia investigation, said the files confirm that the FBI and other agencies failed to act on intelligence showing Clinton’s campaign may have deliberately fueled the narrative.
“Based on the Durham annex, the Obama FBI failed to adequately review and investigate intelligence reports showing the Clinton campaign may have been ginning up the fake Trump-Russia narrative for Clinton’s political gain,” Grassley said in a statement.
He argued that the effort eventually materialized in public through the now-discredited Steele Dossier and related reporting, while critical warnings about the Clinton campaign’s role were “buried for years.”
Grassley added: “This political weaponization has caused critical damage to our institutions and is one of the biggest political scandals and cover-ups in American history. The new Trump administration has a tremendous responsibility to the American people to fix the damage done and do so with maximum speed and transparency.”
No Russian Role in Trump’s Victory
The controversy comes as Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently declassified separate memos concluding that Russia did not play a decisive role in Trump’s 2016 win. The findings undercut years of speculation that foreign interference was the deciding factor in the election outcome.
Investigative journalist Paul Sperry also reported that additional evidence exists in the form of text messages and emails, allegedly showing coordination between campaign figures and outside actors in advancing the Trump-Russia storyline.
Broader Implications
The revelations highlight a recurring concern in American politics: the weaponization of intelligence and law enforcement for partisan advantage. Critics argue that the use of unverified claims to launch sweeping investigations not only damaged Trump’s presidency but also eroded public trust in the FBI, CIA, and Justice Department.
For Clinton allies, however, the memos will likely reignite debates about the severity of Russian cyber activities during the 2016 campaign. They maintain that concerns about Moscow’s hacking and influence operations were genuine, regardless of campaign strategy.
What Comes Next
While no new charges have been filed, the documents give fresh momentum to calls for reforms ensuring that intelligence cannot be manipulated for political purposes. Trump and his supporters are expected to seize on the findings as further vindication of their claims that the Russia collusion narrative was a politically motivated hoax.
For Clinton, the declassified memos add another chapter to the long-running saga of the 2016 election—a race that continues to shape the political landscape nearly a decade later.