The US Department of Justice has actually returned to investigating the story of possible ties between Donald Trump and Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign, the Associated Press (AP) reports, citing sources. However, investigators are now focusing not on the Republican, but on those officials who were investigating him.
In particular, the Justice Department began issuing subpoenas to testify before a grand jury in Florida. Who exactly received the subpoenas is unknown, as are the outlines of the investigation. However, as the AP notes, prosecutors have been trying for the past several months to prove the existence of a conspiracy by the US intelligence community against Trump in those years.
It is not yet known whether anyone will face any charges. AP, however, recalls that one of the targets of the investigation is former CIA Director John Brennan. Investigators are looking into whether he may have given false testimony to Congress. He himself has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
According to the Trump administration, Brennan, several of his former employees, as well as former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former FBI Director James Comey were “overly involved” in the “chaotic,” “atypical,” and “patently unconventional” process of preparing a report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.
As RTVI reported, Comey was also charged last year with giving false testimony to Congress and obstruction of justice. Comey was one of the initiators of the investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election in favor of Trump (the so-called “Russiagate”). Prior to this, the daughter of former FBI director Maureen Comey was fired from the prosecutor's office for the Southern District of New York.
Let us add that last year the report of the Select Committee on Intelligence on possible Russian interference was hidden from the website of the US Senate. At the same time, almost 40 employees who were involved in this investigation were fired from the National Intelligence Service.
Trump himself has for years rejected accusations of collusion with Russia and called the investigation part of a “deep state” plot to undermine the legitimacy of his victory.
