Why Is The Justice Department Covering Up Who Spied On Trump?

A conservative watchdog is going to federal court to uncover Justice Department files on the Russiagate conspiracy against President Donald Trump.

The non-profit public interest law firm Judicial Watch announced in a statement it “filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice for fully unredacted records and previously withheld or missing portions of former Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Crossfire Hurricane/Russiagate investigation (Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:26-cv-00138)).”

“We are fighting to get complete, unredacted records of the Durham investigation and subsequent report so that the American people can see every possible detail about the worst government corruption scandal in U.S. history,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

Judicial Watch reports it “filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after the Justice Department failed to respond to an August 5, 2025, FOIA request for: 

The complete, unredacted notes taken by former CIA Director John Brennan during the August 3, 2016, White House briefing, which reportedly discussing intelligence regarding a Hillary Clinton campaign plan to link Donald Trump to Russia.

The full, unredacted Inspection Division Report from the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General that critiques the FBI’s handling of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.

The 14 missing pages of the Durham Report appendix that have not been publicly released.

All unredacted transcripts, summaries, or notes from interviews conducted by Special Counsel John Durham with the following individuals regarding the 2016 election and related investigations:

Hillary Clinton (interviewed May 2022)

John Brennan (interviewed August 2020)

Stefan Halper

Alexander Downer

Jake Sullivan (interviewed November 2021)

John Podesta (interviewed January 2022)

Robby Mook

All unredacted records of referrals made by Special Counsel John Durham to the Department of Defense or any other federal agencies.

All emails and communications between Fusion GPS and The New York Times, The Washington Post, or other major media outlets as well as between Fusion GPS and the Hillary Clinton campaign or the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

All unredacted emails, memoranda, or other communications between former head of British Intelligence Sir Richard Dearlove, U.S. intelligence officials (including CIA and FBI personnel), Stefan Halper, and Christopher Steele.

“In July 2016, during the presidential election campaign between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. In August 2016, then-CIA Director John Brennan briefed President Obama and other senior officials on intelligence reportedly showing a Hillary Clinton campaign plan to link Trump to Russia,” Judicial Watch reports.

“In May 2019, Durham was appointed special counsel to investigate the origins and conduct of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation,” Judicial Watch notes.

“In May 2023, Durham released his final report, concluding that the FBI opened a full investigation based on ‘raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated intelligence’ and displayed ‘confirmation bias’ in pursuing the investigation. The report noted problems with the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) surveillance practices, noting that unverified information from the Steele dossier was used to help justify FISA applications targeting Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The report also noted that an FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, pleaded guilty to altering an email used in a FISA application,” Judicial Watch further reports.

“In July 2025, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) made public the formerly classified Appendix (“Durham annex”) to John Durham’s 2023 Special Counsel report, which ‘contains previously classified information exposing a reported Clinton campaign plan to falsely tie President Donald Trump to Russia,’” Judicial Watch concludes.

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