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Soros’ alleged ties to Russiagate exposed in declassified annex of Durham report
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The credible foreign sources indicating the FBI and the Obama administration would play a role in spreading the salacious Trump-Russia narrative — before the bureau ever launched its probe — were allegedly tied to George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, according to an explosive document declassified Thursday morning.
The appendix to former Special Counsel John Durham’s report released by the Senate Judiciary Committee sheds stunning light on what Chairman Chuck Grassley describes as «one of the biggest political scandals and cover-ups in American history.»
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Attorney General Pam Bondi worked in coordination to declassify the information.
FBI’S CONTROVERSIAL TRUMP-RUSSIA ACTIONS PREDICTED WITH ‘ALARMING SPECIFICITY’ BY FOREIGN ACTORS: SOURCES
Before its official release, sources exclusively briefed Fox News Digital on some of the contents of the appendix— including that the U.S. intelligence community had credible foreign sources indicating that the FBI would play a role in spreading the salacious Trump–Russia collusion narrative — before the bureau ever launched its controversial Crossfire Hurricane probe.
(George Soros (left) and Hillary Clinton (right) )
A source familiar with the contents of the classified appendix told Fox News Digital that while it may not have been exactly clear in the moment what the intelligence collection meant, with the benefit of hindsight, it predicted the FBI’s next move «with alarming specificity.»
The appendix reveals that the foreign sources were allegedly tied to George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
The appendix said that Russian government actors in 2016 reportedly hacked emails from the Open Society Foundations, formerly known as the Soros Foundation.
«Two of the apparently hacked emails appear to have originated from the Open Society Foundations,» the appendix states, noting that the purported author of these emails was Leonard Bernardo, who was the regional director for Eurasia at the Open Society Foundations.
«During the first stage of the campaign, due to lack of direct evidence, it was decided to disseminate the necessary information through the FBI-affiliated…technical structures… in particular, the Crowdstrike and ThreatConnect companies, from where the information would then be disseminated through leading U.S. publications,» Bernardo reportedly wrote in an email, per the appendix.
The appendix to former Special Counsel John Durham’s report released by the Senate Judiciary Committee sheds stunning light on what Chairman Chuck Grassley describes as «one of the biggest political scandals and cover-ups in American history.» (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
«The media analysis on the DNC hacking appears solid…. Julie (Clinton Campaign Advisor) says it will be a long-term affair to demonize Putin and Trump. Now it is good for a post-convention bounce,» Bernardo allegedly wrote, per the appendix. «Later the FBI will put more oil into the fire.»
Another email reportedly from Bernardo states: «HRC (Hillary Rodham Clinton) approved Julie’s idea about Trump and Russian hackers hampering U.S. elections.»
«This should distract people from her own missing email, especially if the affair goes to the Olympic level,» Bernardo continued, per the annex. «The point is making the Russian play a U.S. domestic issue. Say something like a critical infrastructure threat for the election to feel manic since both POTUS and VPOTUS have acknowledge the fact IC would speed up searching for evidence that is regrettably still unavailable.»
Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI’s Trump–Russia investigation, was opened just several days later, on July 31, 2016.
The appendix reveals that Durham’s team interviewed numerous FBI personnel involved in the Crossfire Hurricane probe. Durham said those he interviewed believed the Bernardo emails to be «likely authentic.»
Durham’s appendix states that the Clinton campaign «might have wanted or expected the FBI or other agencies to aid that effort («put more oil into the fire») by commencing a formal investigation of the DNC hack.»
PATEL FOUND THOUSANDS OF SENSITIVE TRUMP–RUSSIA PROBE DOCS INSIDE ‘BURN BAGS’ IN SECRET ROOM AT FBI
Communications the Durham team reviewed additionally supported that the Clinton campaign was allegedly engaged in a plan to tie Trump to Russia, and that the campaign wanted or expected the office of the vice president, the FBI or other parts of the intelligence community, such as the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), to aid that effort.
«The Office’s best assessment is that the … emails that purport to be from Bernardo were ultimately a composite of several emails that were obtained through Russian intelligence hacking of the U.S.-based Think Tanks, including the Open Society Foundations, the Carnegie Endowment, and others,» the Durham annex states.
Special Counsel John Durham indicated the Department of Justice and FBI «failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law» when it launched the Trump-Russia investigation. (Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images)
«It is a logical deduction (redacted) (Julianne) Smith was, at minimum, playing a role in the Clinton campaign’s efforts to tie Trump to Russia,» Durham writes, also noting that the communications reviewed «certainly lends at least some credence that such a plan existed.»
In 2020, Fox News Digital exclusively reported that former CIA Director John Brennan, in the summer of 2016, briefed former President Barack Obama and administration officials on intelligence that then-Democratic nominee former Secretary of State Clinton reportedly was stirring up a plan to tie Trump to Russia.
Ratcliffe, as director of national intelligence, declassified Brennan’s handwritten notes memorializing that meeting, which were exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital in October 2020.
On July 28, 2016, Brennan briefed Obama on a plan allegedly by one of Clinton’s campaign foreign policy advisors «to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service.»
Comey, then-Vice President Joe Biden, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper were at the Brennan–Obama briefing.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, pictured here, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Attorney General Pam Bondi worked in coordination to declassify the information. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
After that briefing, the CIA properly forwarded that information through a Counterintelligence Operational Lead (CIOL) to Comey and then-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.»
«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.»
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.»
The declassification and release of the classified annex was done with close coordination between Ratcliffe, Patel, Gabbard, Bondi and acting National Security Agency Director William Hartman — along with Grassley, who ultimately released the document to the public. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
The declassification and release of the classified annex was done with close coordination between Ratcliffe, Patel, Gabbard, Bondi and acting National Security Agency Director William Hartman — along with Grassley, who ultimately released the document to the public.
Meanwhile, while Ratcliffe was director of National Intelligence in 2020, he provided intelligence to Durham as part of a larger trove of more than 1,000 documents.
FLASHBACK: RATCLIFFE SAYS ODNI HAS PROVIDED NEARLY 1,000 DOCUMENTS TO DOJ TO SUPPORT DURHAM PROBE
A former senior Trump official told Fox News Digital that Ratcliffe advocated for releasing the intelligence publicly then, but that Durham, who, at the time, was expected to release an interim report prior to the 2020 election, declined on the basis that it could negatively impact his investigation, which had not yet reached a determination on potential prosecutions.
«Durham said he wanted to preserve his investigation but was going to release an interim report,» the former official told Fox News Digital. «Then he said he was afraid he’d get accused of politicization and disappeared.»
The source added: «Thankfully the real politicization is all coming to light now.»
Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to take over the FBI’s original «Crossfire Hurricane» investigation (Carolyn Kaster, File/The Associated Press )
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, Durham was appointed as special counsel to investigate the origins of the «Crossfire Hurricane» probe.
EXCLUSIVE: DURHAM FINDS DOJ, FBI ‘FAILED TO UPHOLD’ MISSION OF ‘STRICT FIDELITY TO THE LAW’ IN TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE
Durham found that the FBI «failed to act» on a «clear warning sign» that the bureau was the «target» of an alleged Clinton-led effort to «manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes» ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
«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.
The credible foreign sources indicating the FBI and the Obama administration would play a role in spreading the salacious Trump-Russia narrative — before the bureau ever launched its probe — were allegedly tied to George Soros’ Open Society Foundation. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
«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.
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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.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Soros and Bernardo for comment and has yet to receive a reply.
russia investigation
INTERNACIONAL
El presidente de Colombia cruzó a Trump por revocarle la visa y propuso trasladar la sede de la ONU a Doha
El presidente de Colombia, Gustavo Petro, cuestionó a Estados Unidos por revocarle su visa por supuestos “actos imprudentes e incendiarios” que habría cometido el viernes durante una manifestación propalestina en Nueva York al margen de la Asamblea General de Naciones Unidas. Además, propuso mudar la sede de la organización a Doha, en Qatar.
“Revocar la visa no es un acto contra Petro, sino contra las Naciones Unidas, y contra la lucha por la vida de la humanidad”, dijo este domingo el mandatario colombiano en X.
Leé también: Trump dijo que hubo avances en las negociaciones de paz en Medio Oriente: “Tenemos una oportunidad real”
El presidente izquierdista es uno de los críticos más duros de la ofensiva israelí en Gaza. Además, califica de “genocida” a su primer ministro, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Petro “se manifestó en las calles de Nueva York e hizo un llamado a los soldados estadounidenses a desobedecer órdenes y a incitar a la violencia. Revocaremos la visa (…) debido a sus actos imprudentes e incendiarios”, indicó el sábado el Departamento de Estado en la red social X.
En su cuenta de X, Petro propuso trasladar de la sede de la ONU a Doha. “Cómo presidente de Colombia, en la asamblea general de las naciones que fundamos en la ONU, expreso mis opiniones libremente. El derecho internacional, es la sabiduría de la humanidad y me protege. El genocidio es un crimen contra la humanidad y la humanidad debe responder, juzgar y castigar. El señor Trump ha violado los principios fundantes de la ONU. Hora de irse a un lugar más democrático. Propongo, Doha como sede de las Naciones Unidas”, afirmó. El mensaje de Gustavo Petro en X (Foto: Captura X/petrogustavo)
Qué dijo Gustavo Petro en Nueva York
El presidente colombiano compartió un video en el que se le ve hablando en español con un megáfono durante una manifestación en Nueva York, en la que llamó a “las naciones del mundo” a aportar soldados para un ejército “más grande que el de Estados Unidos” para defender a los palestinos.
“¡Pido a todos los soldados del ejército de los Estados Unidos que no apunten a la humanidad con sus rifles! ¡Desobedezcan la orden de (el presidente Donald) Trump! ¡Obedezcan la orden de la humanidad!”, exclamó. Gustavo Petro habló sobre el conflicto en Gaza y EE.UU. le retiró la visa (Foto: REUTERS/Bing Guan)
El Departamento de Estado anunció la sanción mientras el mandatario volaba de regreso a Colombia. Al aterrizar el sábado en la madrugada, el primer presidente izquierdista del país expresó su rechazo a la medida estadounidense.
“El que no se haya permitido la entrada a la Autoridad Palestina y el que se me quite la visa por pedirle al ejército de EEUU y de Israel que no apoyen un genocidio, que es un crimen contra la humanidad toda, demuestran que el gobierno de EEUU ya no cumple con el derecho internacional”, dijo Petro en X.
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“No volveré a ver el Pato Donald, por ahora, eso es todo”, escribió irónicamente sobre su par estadounidense.
Previamente, Petro dijo tener la ciudadanía italiana, por lo que no necesitaría un visado para entrar en Estados Unidos.
“Un arma diplomática”
Este sábado, la Cancillería colombiana rechazó la medida en el marco de la Asamblea General de la ONU y dijo que la decisión de la administración Trump es un “arma diplomática”
Si el acceso a Naciones Unidas está condicionado a las relaciones diplomáticas con Estados Unidos, “sería imprescindible la búsqueda de un país sede (de la ONU) completamente neutral”, dijo en un comunicado.
“Le quitan la visa porque fue de los pocos presidentes que en la ONU se atrevió a denunciar el genocidio contra Palestina”, dijo el ministro de Interior, Armando Benedetti.
Petro se encontraba en Nueva York para asistir a la Asamblea General de la ONU. En un evento de la organización propuso abrir una “lista de voluntarios colombianos y colombianas que quieran ir a luchar por la liberación de Palestina”, al considerar que la diplomacia no logró su trabajo. Dijo que, de ser necesario, iría a la batalla él mismo. El presidente de Colombia, Gustavo Petro Urrego, se dirige al 80mo periodo de sesiones de la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas, el martes 23 de septiembre de 2025, en la sede de la ONU. (Foto AP/Pamela Smith)
Gustavo Petro cargó contra Donald Trump
El martes, reprendió en su discurso ante la Asamblea a la administración Trump y pidió un “procedimiento penal” contra su homólogo estadounidense tras ataques militares que destruyeron en el Caribe lanchas que, según Washington, transportaban narcotraficantes y droga.
Petro dijo que en los ataques murieron “jóvenes pobres” desarmados, más de una docena en total.
Washington sostiene que las acciones forman parte de una operación antidroga frente a las costas de Venezuela, a cuyo presidente, Nicolás Maduro, Trump acusa de dirigir el Cártel de los Soles.
El mandatario republicano envió ocho buques de guerra y un submarino al Caribe sur.
Petro, cuyo país es el mayor productor de cocaína del mundo, dijo que sospecha que algunos de los muertos en los ataques desde barcos estadounidenses eran colombianos.
La semana pasada, el gobierno de Trump retiró a Colombia la certificación como aliado en la lucha antidrogas, pero no retiró su multimillonaria ayuda económica y cooperación militar para luchar contra el narco.
Petro y Trump, contrapuestos ideológicamente, mantienen una relación tensa por desacuerdos en temas como la deportación de migrantes, los aranceles estadounidenses o su postura respecto a la guerra en Gaza.
En 2024, Colombia rompió relaciones con Israel por su ofensiva en la Franja de Gaza, desatada en represalia por los ataques del movimiento islamista palestino Hamás el 7 de octubre de 2023.
(Con información de AFP)
Colombia, Estados Unidos, Gustavo Petro
INTERNACIONAL
Elecciones en Moldavia: el partido gobernante denunció que el intento de Rusia de interferir en los comicios fue “colosal”
El líder del gobernante Partido Acción y Solidarida (PAS) de Moldavia, Ígor Grosu, acusó este domingo a Rusia de emprender unos intentos “colosales” de socavar los comicios legislativos de hoy.
“Los intentos de Rusia de socavar el proceso electoral fueron colosales”, dijo Grosu, citado por medios moldavos, al término de la votación y a falta de conocerse sus resultados.
Grosu agregó que estos esfuerzos consistieron en “compra de votos, intentos de desestabilización y falsas amenazas de bomba”.
“Las instituciones estatales hicieron todo lo posible para garantizar la seguridad y la integridad del proceso electoral”, aseguró y añadió que las consecuencias de las acciones de Rusia “son difíciles de evaluar en ese momento”.
El político dijo que ahora hay que esperar los resultados de los comicios y mantener la calma.
Mientras, el ex presidente moldavo y uno de los líderes del opositor Bloque Electoral Patriótico, Ígor Dodon, aseguró que PAS “ha entrado en pánico” y baraja incluso anular los resultados, “ya que rechaza categóricamente ceder el poder”.
“Estimados ciudadanos, queridos moldavos, nos vemos mañana a las 12 horas cerca del Parlamento. Hoy votamos por el cambio, mañana lo vamos a defender”, escribió Dodon en Telegram.
Este domingo, el PAS lidera las elecciones parlamentarias con el 38 % de los votos, según los primeros resultados ofrecidos por la Comisión Electoral Central (CEC) del país, sin que se conozca aún si este resultado será suficiente para que el PAS siga en el poder.
Tras el escrutinio del 19 por ciento de las papeletas, en segundo lugar se sitúa el opositor Bloque Electoral Patriótico, que defiende el fortalecimiento de los lazos con Moscú y obtiene el respaldo del 33,63 % de los electores.
La alta participación marcó las elecciones parlamentarias que se celebraron este domingo, en una jornada empañada por acusaciones del Gobierno de casos de fraude en los comicios y alertas de bomba en algunos colegios electorales.
A las 17:00 hora local (14:00 GMT), la participación alcanzaba más del 43,8 %, es decir, ya habían ejercido su derecho al voto más de 1,2 millones de electores.
Para que las elecciones sean reconocidas como válidas se necesitaba la participación de al menos el 33 % de los votantes.
La afluencia a las urnas en estos comicios fue alta, tanto dentro de Moldavia como fuera de sus fronteras, donde ya votaron cerca de 200.000 electores.
“Hoy, miles de ciudadanos de la República de Moldavia ejercen su derecho al voto en el extranjero, demostrando una vez más la fuerza y la unidad de nuestra diáspora”, señaló previamente el Ministerio de Exteriores moldavo en un comunicado.
En total, Moldavia se abrieron cerca de 2.000 colegios electorales dentro del país y 301 en el extranjero, la mayoría en países europeos.
Precisamente la posición de la diáspora fue clave para dar la victoria al rumbo europeo de esa antigua república soviética en el referéndum y las presidenciales del año pasado.
La presidenta del país, la europeísta Maia Sandu, informó de casos de fraude con las papeletas registrados en varios colegios dentro del país.
Sandu llamó a los moldavos a demostrar que son “fuertes” y seguir ejerciendo su derecho al voto.
La misión de observación Promo-LEX informó de 254 infracciones confirmadas en lo que va de jornada electoral. La mayoría de estos incidentes estaba relacionada con la violación del derecho de los ciudadanos al voto secreto.
(Con información de EFE)
Europe,Elections / Voting,Chisinau
INTERNACIONAL
Ex Michelle Obama aide leads Des Moines school board’s defense of superintendent arrested by ICE
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Iowa Democrats are rallying behind a school superintendent who was arrested by ICE on allegations that he is in the country illegally this week, and they are led by a school board chair who once held a key role in the Obama White House.
After ICE arrested Ian Roberts, the superintendent for Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) last week, school board chair Jackie Norris called for people to have «radical empathy» as Roberts’ case plays out. Norris previously served as White House chief of staff for then-first lady Michelle Obama. Meanwhile, Republicans in the state legislature are also launching a probe into how the board chose Roberts in the first place.
Norris supported Roberts in a statement on Friday in which she said that officials «do not have all the facts.»
«There is much we do not know,» Norris said. «However, what we do know is that Dr. Roberts has been an integral part of our school community since he joined over two years ago.»
IOWA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT ARRESTED BY ICE, FACING PRIOR WEAPONS CHARGES, ALLEGEDLY FOUND WITH LOADED HANDGUN
Authorities said a handgun was found in a vehicle used by Ian Roberts to flee from pursuing ICE agents. (ICE)
«During his time with our district, he has shown up in ways big and small and has advocated for students and staff, and has begun introducing concepts that will help us reimagine education for future generations,» she continued.
Norris said Roberts joined the school district in July 2023 after having served in various school districts across the U.S. for «over 20 years.» Norris was not the chair of the school board at the time Roberts started, but she has been a member since 2021.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the Iowa legislature are calling for a wider probe to ensure proper hiring practices are being followed across the state. Iowa’s House Government Oversight Committee also sent a letter to the DMPS directing it to preserve documents related to Roberts’ hiring.
«I will not hesitate to introduce and pass legislation to mandate enhanced hiring protocols, increase transparency in district operations, and protect the resources allocated to our schools through the appropriations process,» State Rep. Austin Harris said. «Iowa’s families deserve nothing less than a safe, lawful, and effective education system for their children.»
DMPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Jackie Norris worked as Michelle Obama’s chief of staff in the White House in 2009. (Getty Images)
ICE alleges that Roberts is in the country illegally from Guyana. They say he is not legally permitted to work in the United States and had a final order of removal from a judge issued in May 2024.
Roberts was arrested after allegedly driving away from law enforcement. He later abandoned his car in the woods, and Iowa State Patrol ended up finding him, according to a press release.
«This suspect was arrested in possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle provided by Des Moines Public Schools after fleeing federal law enforcement,» ICE ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson said in a statement.
«This should be a wake-up call for our communities to the great work that our officers are doing every day to remove public safety threats,» Olson continued. «How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district.»
Ian Roberts, head of Des Moines Public Schools, was arrested by immigration authorities on Friday after a brief chase, Roberts was living in the United States illegally, authorities said. (Getty Images; ICE)
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The district said Roberts had previously done an I-9 to prove legal status, but that it was conducted by a third-party group and that it did not know about an order of removal, according to The Associated Press.
Roberts came to the United States with a student visa in 1999 and had charges for weapon possession in 2020, according to ICE.
immigration,education,politics,iowa
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