Justice Department Escalates Investigation into Obama Administration's Handling of Russia Probe

The Justice Department is moving forward with an investigation into whether the Obama administration broke federal laws while investigating Russia's involvement in the 2016 presidential election. Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered a grand jury to potentially hear evidence in the case, marking an escalation of the investigation into one of President Donald Trump's long-standing grievances. The investigation, which has been ongoing for years, aims to determine whether President Barack Obama and his top officials tried to connect Trump with Russian efforts to influence his first run for the White House.

Key Takeaways:

• The Justice Department has demanded archived intelligence assessments from the 2016 presidential election from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
• Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered a grand jury to potentially hear evidence in the case, which will allow prosecutors to subpoena documents, solicit testimony, and secretly present evidence to a panel that will determine whether to return an indictment.
• The investigation is focused on whether the Obama administration broke federal laws while investigating Russia's involvement in the 2016 election, with President Trump claiming that the previous investigations were a "witch hunt" and a Democratic plot to undermine his presidency.
• Intelligence officials and multiple investigations, including the inquiry led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, have repeatedly concluded that Russia sought to interfere with the election to benefit Trump over his rival Hillary Clinton.
• Mueller's probe led to the convictions of several Trump allies, though it found no concrete proof of collusion between members of his campaign and Moscow.
• The grand jury investigation will be led by a federal prosecutor, although the name has been redacted from the letter obtained by The Washington Post.
• The investigation has been ongoing for years, with the Justice Department previously acknowledging criminal probes into two key figures from those 2016 election inquiries: former FBI director James B. Comey and former CIA director John Brennan.

Statistics:

• 2016 presidential election
• 4 years
• Over 100 witnesses were interviewed during the Mueller investigation
• 3 different intelligence community assessments about Russian activity in U.S. elections and cyberthreats to the 2016 presidential election
• Mueller's probe led to the convictions of 6 Trump associates
• 2 key figures from those 2016 election inquiries are currently under investigation by the Justice Department: former FBI director James B. Comey and former CIA director John Brennan

Sources:

• The Washington Post
• Letter to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) from the Justice Department, obtained by The Washington Post
• Fox News
• Senate Judiciary Committee report, released by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)
• Post by FBI Director Kash Patel on social media