Tue Aug 05 07:50:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text and a rewritten version as a news article:
**Summary:**
US Attorney General Pam Bondi has initiated legal proceedings into allegations that political opponents of Donald Trump conspired to falsely accuse him of colluding with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. This follows recent accusations from former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and the declassification of an appendix to Special Counsel John Durham’s report, which included a potentially damning email suggesting a plan to smear Trump as a Russian asset. While the Mueller report found no evidence of collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia, and Durham’s report criticized the FBI’s initial investigation, Trump and his allies maintain that the Russiagate allegations were a politically motivated smear campaign. Critics argue that these new developments do not invalidate the original intelligence assessment that Russia sought to interfere in the election to benefit Trump. The investigation will now proceed to a grand jury.
**News Article:**
**Trump-Russia Collusion Claims Revisited as Attorney General Orders New Investigation**
**Washington D.C.** – US Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered prosecutors to begin legal proceedings examining allegations that Donald Trump’s political rivals conspired to falsely accuse him of colluding with Russia in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. According to CBS News, evidence will be presented to a grand jury to determine if formal charges should be filed.
The move comes amidst a renewed debate over the so-called “Russiagate” scandal. Former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently accused the Obama administration of politicizing intelligence regarding Russian meddling to falsely link Trump to Russia. Trump himself has long maintained that the allegations were a politically motivated “smear” orchestrated by his opponents.
Fueling the renewed scrutiny is the declassification of an appendix from Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the FBI’s probe of Trump’s campaign. The appendix includes a 2016 email that appears to outline a plan by Hillary Clinton’s campaign to demonize both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump as a way to influence the election.
The email, attributed to an employee of a non-profit run by liberal donor George Soros, allegedly mentions an advisor stating, “Julie says it will be a long-term affair to demonize Putin and Trump… Later the FBI will put more oil into the fire.” While the authenticity of the email remains unconfirmed and Durham found no evidence of FBI conspiracy, Trump allies claim it suggests federal investigators may have been part of a broader smear campaign.
Democrats and others maintain that these recent developments do not negate the findings of the January 2017 US intelligence assessment that concluded Russia sought to damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign and boost Trump. A subsequent bipartisan Senate report in 2020 also found that Russia attempted to aid Trump’s 2016 campaign.
The initial FBI investigation, led by then-Director James Comey, and the subsequent special counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller, have been subject to intense scrutiny. The Mueller report ultimately found no evidence of a conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and the Russian government. Durham’s report criticized the FBI probe for lacking analytical rigor and relying on uncorroborated intelligence.
Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan, who have both been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the initial investigation, have long denied any misconduct.
The grand jury will now weigh the evidence and determine whether charges should be filed, potentially opening a new chapter in the long-running saga surrounding the 2016 election and allegations of Russian interference.
First Piper 