WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House released declassified information on Wednesday regarding an FBI investigation into whether President Trump was acting as an asset for Russia when he fired FBI Director James Comey. The documents detail a probe that examined the president's conduct during his first term in office.

The investigation, known as Oxferd Comma, focused on whether President Trump was wittingly or unwittingly acting as a Russian agent at the time of Comey's dismissal. Agents who opened the case believed it was the least intrusive method to address what they perceived as a serious national security risk. The case file was marked sensitive to keep it off the books from other agents within the bureau.

The memo opening Oxferd Comma was dated May 16, 2017, just days after Trump fired Comey in May 2017. This document was approved by FBI General Counsel James A. Baker and Assistant Director Bill Priestap. The predicate for the Oxferd Comma investigation was President Trump's decision to fire Comey in 2017, an action the White House initially cited as resulting from Comey's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails.

The memo stated the probe was meant to determine if President Trump was directed by, controlled by, or coordinated activities with the Russian Federation in a manner constituting a threat to national security or a violation of federal criminal statutes. It further stated the investigation would seek to determine whether President Trump and others obstructed or conspired to obstruct any associated FBI investigation. The FBI investigated whether President Trump was "wittingly or unwittingly" acting as a Russian agent when he fired Comey based on an articulable factual basis that reasonably indicated he may have been involved in activities for or on behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation.

Oxferd Comma was a subcomponent of Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI probe into potential collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russian government. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel to investigate claims of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and potential ties to the Trump campaign after Comey's dismissal. Oxferd Comma was rolled into Special Counsel Robert Mueller's larger probe into Trump.

An administration official stated that the theory of Trump acting as a Russian asset was not backed up by evidence. The official provided context on the internal views held at the time regarding the basis for the obstruction inquiry. "I was unaware that the predicate for the obstruction included a claim that Donald Trump was somehow acting on behalf of Vladimir Putin," the official said.

The official added that the available intelligence did not support the premise of the investigation. "The short of it is, almost everything in the FBI's possession at that point had debunked or ruled out that Trump or his campaign was colluding with Russia at that time," the official said.

Mueller's report claimed Trump was frustrated with Comey for refusing to publicly state that the president was not personally under investigation for potential ties to Russia. The special counsel's final report described some contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian government-linked individuals. However, Mueller did not find evidence that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia.

The Oxferd Comma investigation was found to have no merit when the Mueller investigation closed. Oxferd Comma was closed on April 9, 2019, with no charges against Trump.

Trump has accused the FBI and other intelligence agencies of conducting unethical investigations into his campaigns and presidency. He has called the Crossfire Hurricane and Mueller investigations a witch hunt. Trump has also called Comey a "dirty cop" and has vowed to launch probes of his own in response to these events.

Comey has called Trump "morally unfit" to be president. PureSource News previously reported that Former FBI Director Comey Files Motions related to his legal challenges. Comey was charged earlier this year with threatening Trump's life by posting photos of seashells arranged to form the numbers "86 47." Comey has alleged he is being vindictively and selectively prosecuted.

The Justice Department has denied Comey's allegation of vindictive and selective prosecution. Comey was separately charged last year with making false statements to Congress. The indictment against Comey for making false statements to Congress was dismissed.

Why It Matters

The release of these documents reveals that federal agents opened a sensitive, off-the-books investigation into whether the sitting president was wittingly or unwittingly acting as a Russian asset. This inquiry, which officials later stated lacked evidentiary support and was found to have no merit, operated under the premise that the president's dismissal of the FBI director constituted a national security risk. The disclosure shows the extent of internal scrutiny faced by the administration and the subsequent conclusion that the theory of the president acting on behalf of the Russian Federation was unfounded.