{"id":29488,"date":"2026-01-08T20:06:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/?p=29488"},"modified":"2026-01-08T20:06:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:06:55","slug":"bondi-grand-jury-advances-on-obama-officials-over-2016-russia-report-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/?p=29488","title":{"rendered":"Bondi Grand Jury Advances On Obama Officials Over 2016 Russia Report"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This article may contain commentary
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The Justice Department is investigating whether senior FBI officials mishandled classified materials tied to the bureau\u2019s Russia probe.<\/p>\n

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A source confirmed to\u00a0CBS News<\/a>\u00a0that the documents were discovered inside \u201cburn bags\u201d at FBI headquarters, containers usually reserved for destroying sensitive files.\u00a0The materials are connected to Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI\u2019s 2016 investigation into possible ties between Donald Trump\u2019s campaign and Russia.<\/p>\n

FBI Director Kash Patel said last month that thousands of Russia-related files were uncovered in the bags, which he claimed had been hidden.<\/p>\n

Patel later wrote on X, \u201cWe just uncovered burn bags\/room filled with hidden Russia Gate files.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FBI opened Crossfire Hurricane during the 2016 campaign and continued it into Trump\u2019s first term. Former Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller concluded Russia interfered in the election with the goal of helping Trump.\u00a0Mueller did not accuse Trump or his aides of criminal coordination with Moscow.<\/p>\n

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A 2017 intelligence community report also found Russia sought to influence the election and developed a preference for Trump.\u00a0Those findings have long been challenged by Trump and his allies, who have called the probe a hoax and a witch hunt.<\/p>\n

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents last month that she said undercut the 2017 report.<\/p>\n

Gabbard accused Obama-era officials of a \u201ctreasonous conspiracy\u201d and a \u201cyears-long coup\u201d against Trump.\u00a0She said she would refer the matter to the Justice Department for possible charges.<\/p>\n

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Former President Barack Obama\u2019s spokesman Patrick Rodenbush dismissed the allegations as \u201cbizarre\u201d and \u201cridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patel, a frequent critic of the FBI, has argued the agency acted with bias and ignored protocol.<\/p>\n

In 2023, he published\u00a0Government Gangsters<\/em>, describing the FBI as \u201cthoroughly compromised\u201d and part of a \u201cDeep State\u201d effort to undermine Trump.\u00a0Years later, Trump-era special counsel John Durham described the investigation as \u201cseriously flawed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Now, the Justice Department is preparing for a federal grand jury that could focus on Obama officials involved in the 2016 assessment of Russian interference.<\/p>\n

Attorney General Pam Bondi authorized prosecutors to examine statements and testimony from Obama-era leaders regarding Trump\u2019s campaign and Russia.<\/p>\n

The move directly targets what Trump has long called the \u201cRussia Hoax.\u201d<\/p>\n

The New York Times reported prosecutors could present the case to a grand jury in South Florida if the evidence is sufficient.<\/p>\n

Speculation among legal experts has centered on Florida as a favorable venue for Trump, Newsweek\u00a0reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The decision to move the case outside Washington would serve as a tactical win for him.<\/p>\n

Bondi\u2019s action comes as the Senate confirmed Judge Jason A. Reding Qui\u00f1ones as the first U.S. attorney of Trump\u2019s second term.\u00a0His appointment has fueled speculation that the Southern District of Florida could be the site for the grand jury.<\/p>\n

Attorney James Burnham called South Florida the \u201clogical\u201d choice, pointing to setbacks the Trump administration suffered in Washington.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll eyes on the Southern District of Florida and its newly confirmed U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Qui\u00f1ones,\u201d Burnham wrote on X.<\/p>\n

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Trump won Florida with 56.1 percent of the vote in 2024.<\/p>\n

Federal grand juries are drawn from local communities, meaning a South Florida panel would likely be more favorable to Trump than one in Washington.<\/p>\n

In the District, juries are selected from a heavily Democratic population, where Trump received only 6.6 percent of the vote in 2024.<\/p>\n

The Justice Department has not announced a timeline for when or where a grand jury could be seated.\u00a0The FBI and the Justice Department declined to comment on the status of the probe.<\/p>\n

The inquiry, combined with Bondi\u2019s push for a grand jury, marks the most aggressive challenge yet to the 2017 assessment.\u00a0It also reflects Trump\u2019s demand for accountability against officials he accuses of waging a political campaign against him.<\/p>\n

The discovery of the burn bags has given new life to those claims.\u00a0And with prosecutors weighing charges against former Obama officials, the political fight over the 2016 election appears far from over.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n