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Why longtime Trump ally and former Republican Gov. Paul LePage is aiming for a political comeback

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LEWISTON, MAINE – EXCLUSIVE – Former two-term Gov. Paul LePage of Maine says President Donald Trump is a major reason why he’s coming out of political retirement at age 76 – and he’s eyeing a campaign comeback.

«I never, ever had any aspirations to go to Washington until now,» LePage said this week in his first national interview after launching his bid for the House in Maine’s Second Congressional District, which is a top swing seat the GOP aims to flip in the 2026 midterm elections.

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The contest will likely be one of the most closely watched House races in the country next year as the Republicans aim to hold their fragile majority in the chamber.

«Donald Trump, I think, is doing what is necessary in addressing the debt this country is facing. And I think that’s a big, big thing for me,» LePage said as he was interviewed in the Maine city where he was born and raised.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR SPELLS OUT HIS PLAYBOOK TO HOLD THE CONGRESSIONAL MAJORITY

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Former Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who is running for the House in 2026 in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, speaks with Fox News Digital in Lewiston, Maine, on May 7, 2025, in his first interview after announcing his candidacy.  (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

LePage highlighted, «I have a friend in the White House right now. I know President Trump. I think I can have an audience of President Trump. I know several of his secretaries very well. And so I think this is a good time. It’s a good time for me to go help.»

LePage – the brash and blunt politician who won over blue-collar workers struggling with economic woes, which helped the Republican businessman win election and re-election in the blue-leaning state – was one of the first major GOP elected officials to endorse Trump when the president first ran for the White House nearly a decade ago.

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«I was Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular,» LePage joked at the time, in a line that’s since become famous.

The conservative governor, who grabbed national attention with controversial comments made during his tenure, briefly moved with his wife, Ann, to Florida after finishing his second term in 2019.

«I am done with politics. I have done my eight years. It’s time for somebody else,» he said at the time.

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CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS TARGETING THESE HOUSE REPUBLICANS IN 2026 MIDTERM BATTLE

But LePage re-established residency in Maine five years ago and challenged his successor as governor, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, in the 2022 election.

LePage ended up losing his bid for a third term by 13 points to Mills, but he did carry the 2nd Congressional District in that race.

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Moderate Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, a U.S. Marine veteran who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and who often bucks his own party in Congress, has held the seat since first winning it in 2018.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, at a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, has represented Maine's 2nd Congressional District since first winning the seat in 2018.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, at a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, has represented Maine’s 2nd Congressional District since first winning the seat in 2018. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

But Golden won re-election by a razor-thin margin last year in the district, which is the second-most rural in the U.S. and the largest east of the Mississippi River.

And Trump, who carried the district in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections by nine, seven and 10 points, earned an electoral vote each time, as Maine and Nebraska, are the only two states in the union to allocate their electoral votes partially by congressional district.

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MAINE’S GOLDEN TAKES AIM AT FELLOW DEMOCRATS OVER POLICY

Golden, in a statement after LePage announced his candidacy, said, «I thought Paul was doing his best work in retirement.»

But the 42-year-old Golden has yet to announce whether he’ll seek re-election next year or instead run for either the state’s Senate seat or the open governor’s office.

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In his Fox News interview, LePage reiterated that the nation’s debt is a top motivation for him to return to politics. As of May 8, the national debt was $36,212,886,111,158.26, according to Fox News’ National Debt Tracker. 

«It’s the spending and the debt that this country has, and I’m worried about my grandchildren, great-grandchildren. And I think we have a president now that’s really willing to tackle it, and I’m willing to help,» he said.

But LePage added that «the other thing that is really big is what’s happening in our country with the woke environment. I think I want to be there to help clean that up if we can. Having boys play in girls’ sports is really sad.»

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He also highlighted his Tuesday meeting—part of a three-day swing through the congressional district—with Maine student Cassidy Carlisle, whom he described as «the courageous young woman fighting unfair male competition in girls’ sports.»

Maine’s 2nd Congressional District shares a long border with Canada.

When asked if he’ll be spotlighting border security and immigration as major issues in his campaign, Lepage said, «Big time.»

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But the controversial tariffs the president placed on nations across the globe last month has strained relations with Canada.

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who's running a Republican campaign for Congress in 2026, speaks to a voter at a gun shop and indoor firing range, on May 7, 2025, in Poland, Maine.

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who’s running a Republican campaign for Congress in 2026, speaks to a voter at a gun shop and indoor firing range, on May 7, 2025, in Poland, Maine. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

«I’m all for the tariffs,» LePage said. «The tariffs will fix our international trade and lower taxes.»

LePage acknowledged: «Is it going to hurt in the short term? Yeah, it’s going to hurt a little bit in the short term, but I think it’s necessary.»

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And he predicted that «the tariffs are going to be a short-term problem. I think they’re going to settle out.»

LePage spoke with Fox News at Lewiston’s Franco Center, a performing arts center and historic site of Franco-American culture located in a former Gothic church built in 1907 for French Canadian immigrants in Maine, which is located alongside the city’s historical mills and canals. 

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who's running a 2026 Republican campaign for Congress, tours the Franco Center, a performing arts center and historic site of Franco-American culture located in a former Gothic church in the city of Lewiston, on May 7, 2025. Lepage was baptized as a child in the church.

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who’s running a 2026 Republican campaign for Congress, tours the Franco Center, a performing arts center and historic site of Franco-American culture located in a former Gothic church in the city of Lewiston, on May 7, 2025. Lepage was baptized as a child in the church. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

The former governor, who survived a troubling and often brutal upbringing, gave Fox News a tour of the many dwellings within blocks of the Franco Center, where he spent his childhood.

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The eldest son of 18 children, LePage grew up speaking French in an impoverished home with an alcoholic and abusive father who was a mill worker.

At age 11, he ran away from home after his father beat him and broke his nose. He lived on the streets of Lewiston and often crashed on friends’ couches for a couple of years before earning a living shining shoes, washing dishes at a restaurant, and haling boxes for a local truck driver. 

«I had a very, very, rough upbringing as a youth. We were in welfare, we were in poverty,» he said.

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Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage points in the location of a building where he lived during his childhood, in Lewiston, Maine, on May 7, 2025.

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage points in the location of a building where he lived during his childhood, in Lewiston, Maine, on May 7, 2025. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

LePage, speaking in the church where he was baptized and sought refuge during his family troubles, told Fox News, «It feels good coming in this building. This was a special building. A couple of nuns and priests were really helpful in my upbringing.»

He went on to graduate from high school, and with financial help from friends, attended and graduated from college.

He later enjoyed success as a businessman, including greatly expanding Marden’s Surplus and Salvage, a Maine-based discount store chain.

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Years later, he ventured into politics, winning election to the Waterville city council and later serving as the city’s mayor before winning statewide office in 2010.

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The former governor says his rough childhood has influenced his political life in a way that not many other politicians can understand.

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And he lamented, «Unfortunately, the mentality in the current society is not to help people get out of poverty, but it’s to keep them in poverty.»

«I want to help get them out of poverty,» he said. «I think there are so many programs that we can institute that will elevate people in poverty, rather than keep them.»

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INTERNACIONAL

Donald Trump sabía desde mayo que «aparece en múltiples ocasiones» en los archivos del escándalo de Jeffrey Epstein

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El presidente de EE.UU., Donald Trump, fue informado desde mayo pasado por funcionarios de su Departamento de Justicia que su nombre aparece en «múltiples ocasiones» en los archivos del polémico caso contra el pederasta Jeffrey Epstein, reportó este miércoles The Wall Street Journal.

Citando a altos funcionarios de la Administración del republicano, el WSJ afirma que la fiscal general, Pam Bondi, y su número dos, Todd Blanche, comunicaron al mandatario que su nombre figuraba en los documentos junto a otras figuras conocidas.

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El presidente negó la semana pasada que Bondi le hubiera informado sobre si su nombre figuraba en los archivos.

En la «sesión informativa de rutina», donde este no era el tema central, Bondi y su equipo habrían informado a Trump que los archivos contenían lo que consideraron como «rumores no verificados sobre muchas personas, incluido Trump, que habían tenido contacto con Epstein en el pasado».

Según The Wall Street Journal, una de las fuentes con conocimiento de los documentos afirmó que estos «incluyen cientos de nombres más».

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Los directivos del Departamento de Justicia (DOJ) también habrían informado a Trump que no planeaban publicar más detalles sobre el caso, después de que confirmaran a inicios de julio que no había evidencias sobre la existencia de una «lista de clientes» a los que el magnate chantajeaba además de afirmar que el pederasta murió por suicidio en una prisión federal en 2019.

Estos hallazgos han provocado la ira de los miembros del movimiento Make America Great Again (MAGA) contra la Administración del republicano, que había prometido en campaña publicar dicha lista, una supuesta agenda de cómplices de Epstein que incluiría a celebridades y políticos influyentes que ha sido por años el centro de numerosas teorías de conspiración de la ultraderecha.

La fiscal general Pam Bondi. Foto The New York Times

La renovación del interés sobre el caso ha frustrado a Trump, que ha tratado de redirigir sin mucho éxito el descontento de su base.

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La polémica sobre el caso fue avivada la semana pasada con la publicación también por The Wall Street Journal de una supuesta carta de contenido «obsceno» enviada por Trump a Epstein durante los años en los que eran amigos, algo que el presidente ha negado categóricamente diciendo la nota es «falsa» y por la que ha demandado al rotativo.

Presiones de los demócratas

Los demócratas de la Cámara de Representantes iniciaron este miércoles un intento de citar al Departamento de Justicia del presidente Donald Trump para obtener archivos de la investigación de tráfico sexual de Jeffrey Epstein, incitando a los legisladores republicanos a desafiar a Trump y a los líderes de su partido para apoyar la acción.

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Los demócratas de un subcomité de la poderosa Comisión de Supervisión de la Cámara presentaron una moción para la citación, pocas horas antes del final de su sesión de trabajo de julio y de que los legisladores salieran de Washington para un receso de un mes.

Donald Trump habla con Jeffrey Epstein, durante una fiesta en Mar-a-Largo, Florida./ Captura de videoDonald Trump habla con Jeffrey Epstein, durante una fiesta en Mar-a-Largo, Florida./ Captura de video

El presidente republicano del subcomité, el representante de Luisiana Clay Higgins, pospuso una votación sobre el asunto hasta el final de la reunión. Aunque varios republicanos del panel forman parte de una facción de derecha y han pedido la liberación de los archivos, no se sabe si votarían a favor de la citación.

Durante una breve pausa en la reunión, Higgins dijo a los periodistas que esperaba que la moción para la citación se aprobara con algunos cambios.

“Si el Partido Republicano, si nuestros colegas de este comité no se unen a nosotros en esta votación, entonces lo que están haciendo esencialmente es unirse al presidente Donald Trump en complicidad”, dijo a los periodistas la representante demócrata de Pensilvania Summer Lee, que presentó la moción para la citación.

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La medida tomada por los demócratas muestra cómo hicieron prácticamente todo lo posible para obligar a los republicanos a actuar con respecto a los archivos de Epstein. El presidente de la Cámara, Mike Johnson, atrapado entre las demandas de Trump y el clamor de sus propios miembros para que la Cámara actúe, ha resistido los llamados a la acción y se preparó para enviar a la Cámara a casa un día antes.

Johnson dijo el miércoles por la mañana a los periodistas que no había necesidad de votar esta semana sobre la legislación que pedía la liberación de los archivos de Epstein porque el gobierno de Trump “ya está haciendo todo lo posible para liberarlos”.

Sin embargo, los demócratas se han regocijado esta semana en presionar a los republicanos para que apoyen la liberación de los archivos. Sus esfuerzos detuvieron la agenda legislativa del Partido Republicano para la semana y dirigieron la atención a un tema que Trump ha implorado a sus seguidores que olviden.

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“Están huyendo de nuestro trabajo, de nuestro deber y enviándonos a casa porque no quieren votar para liberar estos archivos. Esto es algo en lo que basaron su campaña. Esto es algo de lo que hablaron: la importancia de la transparencia, de hacer que los pedófilos rindan cuentas”, dijo Lee.

Los líderes demócratas esperan hacer del tema algo mucho más que solo Epstein, quien murió en su celda de Nueva York hace seis años mientras esperaba juicio por cargos de tráfico sexual.

”¿Por qué los republicanos no han liberado los archivos de Epstein al pueblo estadounidense? Es razonable concluir que continúan protegiendo los estilos de vida de los ricos y desvergonzados, aun si eso incluye a pedófilos”, dijo el líder demócrata de la Cámara, Hakeem Jeffries, en una conferencia de prensa. “Así que todo está conectado”.

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Russia sat on intel of Hillary Clinton’s alleged ‘heavy tranquilizers’ use, new docs claim

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Russia allegedly had intelligence suggesting that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was taking «heavy tranquilizers,» which former President Barack Obama and Democratic Party leaders found to be «extraordinarily alarming,» a newly declassified intelligence report claims. 

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Fox News Digital first reported that the U.S. intelligence community did not have any direct information that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to help elect Donald Trump during the 2016 election, but, at the «unusual» direction of then-President Obama, reportedly published «potentially biased» or «implausible» intelligence suggesting otherwise.

BRENNAN DIRECTED PUBLICATION OF ‘IMPLAUSIBLE’ REPORTS CLAIMING PUTIN PREFERRED TRUMP IN 2016, HOUSE FOUND

The information came from a report declassified by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The report was prepared by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in 2020.

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The report, which was based on an investigation launched by former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., was dated Sept. 18, 2020. At the time of the publication of the report, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was the chairman of the committee. 

The report had never before been released to the public, and instead, remained highly classified within the intelligence community.

Fox News Digital obtained the «fully-sourced limited-access investigation report that was drafted and stored in a limited-access vault at CIA Headquarters.» The report includes some redactions.

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One section of the report states that the material in Putin’s possession included Russian intelligence on Democratic National Committee information allegedly showing that senior Democrat leaders found Clinton’s health to be «extraordinarily alarming.» 

Then-President Obama stands with then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (AP)

«As of September 2016, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service had DNC information that President Obama and Party leaders found the state of Secretary Clinton’s health to be ‘extraordinarily alarming,’ and felt it could have ‘serious negative impact’ on her election prospects,» the report states. «Her health information was being kept in ‘strictest secrecy’ and even close advisors were not being fully informed.» 

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The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service also allegedly had DNC communications that showed that «Clinton was suffering from ‘intensified psycho-emotional problems, including uncontrolled fits of anger, aggression, and cheerfulness.’» 

«Clinton was placed on a daily regimen of ‘heavy tranquilizers’ and while afraid of losing, she remained ‘obsessed with a thirst for power,’» the report states.

The Russians also allegedly had information that Clinton «suffered from ‘Type 2 diabetes, Ischemic heart disease, deep vein thrombosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.’»

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The Russians also allegedly possessed a «campaign email discussing a plan approved by Secretary Clinton to link Putin and Russian hackers to candidate Trump in order to ‘distract the American public’ from the Clinton email server scandal.» 

Gabbard, during the White House press briefing Wednesday, said there were «high level DNC emails that detailed evidence of Hillary’s, quote, psycho-emotional problems, uncontrolled fits of anger, aggression and cheerfulness, and that then Secretary Clinton was allegedly on a daily regimen of heavy tranquilizers.» 

«Then CIA Director Brennan and the intelligence community mischaracterized intelligence and relied on dubious, substandard sources to create a contrived false narrative that Putin developed a, quote unquote, ‘clear preference’ for Trump,» Gabbard said. «Brennan and the IC misled lawmakers by referencing the debunked Steele dossier to assess, quote unquote, ‘Russia’s plans and intentions,’ falsely suggesting that this dossier had intelligence value when he knew that it was discredited, the intelligence community excluded significant intelligence and ignored or selectively quoted reliable intelligence that contradicted the intelligence community assessments.» 

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«Key findings on Putin’s alleged support for Trump, including this intelligence reporting, would have exposed the ICA’s claim as implausible, if not ridiculous,» she said. 

Neither Clinton nor Obama responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

A tranquilizer is a drug used to reduce mental disturbance, such as anxiety and tension. Tranquilizers are typically prescribed to individuals suffering from anxiety, sleep disturbances and related conditions affecting their mental and physical health. 

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OBAMA OFFICIALS ADMITTED THEY HAD NO ‘EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE’ OF TRUMP-RUSSIA COLLUSION: HOUSE INTEL TRANSCRIPTS

Fox News Digital, in 2020, first reported on the «Clinton Plan.»

President Barack Obama waves on stage with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during a rally at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama waves on stage with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during a rally at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Nov. 7, 2016. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/The Associated Press)

On July 28, 2016, then-CIA Director John Brennan briefed Obama on a plan from one of Clinton’s campaign foreign policy advisors allegedly «to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service.» 

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Comey, Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper were in the Brennan–Obama briefing.

After that briefing, the CIA reportedly properly forwarded that information through a Counterintelligence Operational Lead (CIOL) to Comey and Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok, with the subject line: «Crossfire Hurricane.»

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained and reported on the CIOL in October 2020, which stated: «The following information is provided for the exclusive use of your bureau for background investigative action or lead purposes as appropriate.»

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«Per FBI verbal request, CIA provides the below examples of information the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion cell has gleaned to date,» the memo continued. «An exchange (REDACTED) discussing US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s approval of a plan concerning US presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server.»

Barack Obama and John Brennan at the White House

President Barack Obama in the East Room of the White House announcing he was nominating John Brennan as the new CIA director. (Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images)

The FBI on July 31, 2016, opened a counterintelligence investigation into whether candidate Trump and members of his campaign were colluding or coordinating with Russia to influence the 2016 campaign. That investigation was referred to inside the bureau as «Crossfire Hurricane.»

OBAMA ADMIN ‘MANUFACTURED’ INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE 2016 RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE NARRATIVE, DOCUMENTS SHOW

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Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to take over the FBI’s original «Crossfire Hurricane» investigation. After nearly two years, Mueller’s investigation, which concluded in March 2019, yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election.

Shortly after, John Durham was appointed as special counsel to investigate the origins of the «Crossfire Hurricane» probe.

Durham found that the FBI «failed to act» on a «clear warning sign» that the bureau was the «target» of a Clinton-led effort to «manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes» ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

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Obama meets with Lynch, Comey and others in White House meeting.

President Barack Obama speaks to the media after meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI Director James Comey in the Oval Office at the White House on July 19, 2016. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

«The aforementioned facts reflect a rather startling and inexplicable failure to adequately consider and incorporate the Clinton Plan intelligence into the FBI’s investigative decision-making in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation,» Durham’s report states.

«Indeed, had the FBI opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation as an assessment and, in turn, gathered and analyzed data in concert with the information from the Clinton Plan intelligence, it is likely that the information received would have been examined, at a minimum, with a more critical eye,» the report continued.

Durham, in his report, said the FBI «failed to act on what should have been – when combined with other incontrovertible facts – a clear warning sign that the FBI might then be the target of an effort to manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes during the 2016 presidential election.»

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Meanwhile, the report states that Brennan «ordered the post-election publication of 15 reports containing previously collected but unpublished intelligence, three of which were substandard – containing information that was unclear, of uncertain origin, potentially biased, or implausible – and those became foundational sources for the ICA judgments that Putin preferred Trump over Clinton.»

FBI LAUNCHES CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS OF JOHN BRENNAN, JAMES COMEY: DOJ SOURCES

«The ICA misrepresented these reports as reliable, without mentioning their significant underlying flaws,» the committee found.

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«One scant, unclear, and unverifiable fragment of a sentence from one of the substandard reports constitutes the only classified information cited to suggest Putin ‘aspired’ to help Trump win,» the report states, adding that the ICA «ignored or selectively quoted reliable intelligence reports that challenged-and in some cases undermined – judgments that Putin sought to elect Trump.»

The report also states that the ICA «failed to consider plausible alternative explanations of Putin’s intentions indicated by reliable intelligence and observed Russian actions.»

The committee also found that two senior CIA officers reportedly warned Brennan that «we don’t have direct information that Putin wanted to get Trump elected.»

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Despite those warnings, the Obama administration moved to publish the ICA.

The report also includes intelligence from a longtime Putin confidant who explained to investigators that «Putin told him he did not care who won the election,» and that Putin «had often outlined the weaknesses of both major candidates.»

FLASHBACK: DNI DECLASSIFIES BRENNAN NOTES, CIA MEMO ON HILLARY CLINTON ‘STIRRING UP’ SCANDAL BETWEEN TRUMP, RUSSIA

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The report also stated that the ICA committed context showing that the claim that Putin preferred Trump was «implausible – if not ridiculous.»

The committee also found that the ICA suppressed intelligence that showed that Russia was actually planning for a Clinton victory because «they knew where (she) stood» and believed Russia «could work with her.»

The declassification of the report comes just days after Gabbard declassified and released documents that included «overwhelming evidence» that demonstrated how, after Trump won the 2016 election against Clinton, then-President Obama and his national security team laid the groundwork for what would be the yearslong Trump–Russia collusion probe.

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Special Counsel John Durham (Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Fox News Digital, in 2020, exclusively obtained the declassified transcripts from Obama-era national security officials’ closed-door testimonies before the House Intelligence Committee, in which those officials testified that they had no «empirical evidence» of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, but continued to publicly push the «narrative» of collusion.

DURHAM TESTIFIES THAT THE FBI IGNORED HILLARY CLINTON PLAN TO LINK TRUMP TO RUSSIA

The House Intelligence Committee, in 2017, conducted depositions of top Obama intelligence officials, including Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, National Security Advisor Susan Rice and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, among others.

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The transcripts, from 2017 and 2018, revealed top Obama officials were questioned by House Intelligence Committee lawmakers and investigators about whether they had or had seen evidence of such collusion, coordination or conspiracy – the issue that drove the FBI’s initial case and later the special counsel probe.

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«I never saw any direct empirical evidence that the Trump campaign or someone in it was plotting/conspiring with the Russians to meddle with the election,» Clapper testified in 2017. «That’s not to say that there weren’t concerns about the evidence we were seeing, anecdotal evidence…. But I do not recall any instance where I had direct evidence.»

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Zelenskyy forced to rethink anti-corruption law after public backlash

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to introduce new legislation that will restore the independence of anti-corruption agencies in Ukraine after fierce public opposition and international condemnation over signing a law that targeted Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption institutions.

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In a sudden turn of events, Zelenskyy posted a video on X in which he said, «Of course, everyone has heard what people are saying these days – on social media, to each other, on the streets. It’s not falling on deaf ears. We analyzed all concerns, all aspects of what needs to be changed and what needs to be stepped up.

«I will propose a bill to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine that will be the response. It will ensure the strength of the rule of law system, and there will be no Russian influence or interference in the activities of law enforcement. And very importantly – all the norms for the independence of anti-corruption institutions will be in place,» he said according to a translated version on the screen.

UKRAINE SEES SWEEPING PROTESTS OVER BILL WEAKENING ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENCIES

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Mass protests erupted in Kyiv and across Ukraine in opposition to the law, the largest anti-government demonstrations since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Zelenskyy to express her strong concerns and convey Brussels’ disapproval of the bill.

One source close to the situation, who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital that the incident should give President Zelenskyy pause as to whether he is getting the best counsel from his closest people. 

The individual with ties to the Ukraine government said this propaganda bonanza for Russia is a self-inflicted wound and also shows the president and his team have misread public sentiment.

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Many Ukrainians and Western allies fear the current turmoil could jeopardize their path to join the European Union and fracture society’s unity while the country faces continued Russian onslaughts.

Although he signed the original bill, Zelenskyy said with the announcement of the new bill that it will ensure the independence of anti-corruption bodies and also eliminate Russian influence over their activities. In defending the previous legislation, he claimed that Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure was infiltrated by Russia.

Ukrainians protest in the first wartime rally against a newly passed law, which curbs independence of anti-corruption institutions, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in central Lviv, Ukraine July 22, 2025.  (Roman Baluk/Reuters)

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The previous bill that passed on Tuesday allowed Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, appointed by the president, wide authority over cases before the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), an anti-corruption agency that was championed by the United States and Europe. It gave the prosecutor general the sweeping power to transfer cases from NABU and usurp other powers from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the agency responsible for prosecuting NABU’s cases.

UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY NAMES NEW PRIME MINISTER FOR FIRST TIME SINCE RUSSIA’S WAR BEGAN

«That is tantamount to being able to squash any legal accountability for corruption,» Josh Rudolph, anti-corruption expert and senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, told Fox News Digital.

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Rudolph noted that the heads of NABU and SAPO are highly reputable professionals and were selected with the concurrence of Ukraine’s international partners, a key component of joining the EU.

«Zelenskyy could have come out as a hero or a villain if he signed the bill. It was a moment of truth,» Orysia Lutsevych, Head of Ukraine Forum, Chatham House, told Fox News Digital. Even though Zelenskyy listened to public opinion and ultimately backed down, his overall popularity continues to take a hit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (not in picture) hold a joint press conference during the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 (URC2025) at Roma Convention Center La Nuvola, on July 10, 2025 in Rome, Italy (Antonio Masiello/Getty Image)

Ukraine has been plagued by government corruption since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Many Ukraine watchers are worried that efforts to rollback anti-corruption initiatives will be fodder for Russian propaganda and fracture Ukraine’s unity at a critical time in the war.

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«Russia can and will use Ukraine’s move to restructure anti-corruption agencies to argue lack of unity, support for the government, and internal disagreements. It will again apply its propaganda arguments about legitimacy of Zelenskyy and the need for elections,» Tymofiy Mylovanov, President of Kyiv School of Economics, told Fox News Digital.

Putin

In this handout photo taken from video released by Russian Presidential Press Service, Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023.  (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)

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Russian President Vladimir Putin claims Zelenskyy is illegitimate and has called for new elections in Ukraine. Elections were scheduled for March 2024 but postponed while the country remains at war and under martial law.

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The disunity within Ukraine comes at a time when Russian forces are escalating large-scale missile and drone strikes in Kyiv and across the country. Russian forces continue to make advances while Kyiv urgently pleads with Europe and the United States to send air defense systems and other key weapons to limit Moscow’s battlefield gains.


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