Attorney General Pam Bondi has reopened scrutiny into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, ordering prosecutors to pursue a criminal inquiry into the Obama-era case, using a grand jury to gather evidence, according to a report published by The Associated Press on Tuesday.
A Recurring Chapter in American Political Chaos
The Russia probe — originally led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller had found that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 US Presidential Election to the advantage of Trump, but did not conclude there was a criminal conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Moscow.
Now, the Department of Justice (DOJ) under President Donald Trump’s loyalist Bondi is revisiting the very foundation of that investigation. Trump himself has repeatedly called for jail time for intelligence officials he feels smeared him.
What Bondi Has Ordered and What Remains Unsaid
According to the report, Bondi’s directive empowers prosecutors to convene a grand jury, which can issue subpoenas and return indictments. While the move doesn’t guarantee charges, it does, however, signal an aggressive approach, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, many key questions are still unclear: which prosecutors are leading it, the location of the grand jury, or who might ultimately face charges.
Bondi’s team previously confirmed an inquiry into former FBI Director James Comey and CIA chief John Brennan, but specifics were withheld.
The Targets and True Motivation
Trump allies, including Sen. Chuck Grassley, recently released documents seeking to cast doubt on the original probe. These include John Durham’s classified annex with unverified emails, some alleging that Hillary Clinton orchestrated a plan to link Trump to Russia.
Durham, though, himself has warned that those emails may be hacked composites. Meanwhile, evidence of Russia’s interference — hack‑and‑leak attacks and disinformation campaigns — remains well-established by both Democratic and Republican investigators.
Analysts say the renewed aggression toward the Obama‑era intelligence apparatus also reflects broad frustration within Trump’s own MAGA base, amid scandal over the Epstein documents and other such investigations.
Another Layer, Another Chance at Closure?
This isn’t America’s first look at the Trump‑Russia probe’s origins. Both Mueller and a Republican-led Senate committee exhaustively chronicled Russia’s efforts. DOJ’s inspector general and Durham also exposed procedural missteps, including in FISA warrants.
Only one conviction resulted from Durham’s investigation — an FBI lawyer who falsified an email.
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