Declassified Memo Reveals FBI 'Debunked' Claim Trump Fired James Comey at Russia's Behest
The FBI launched a 2017 investigation into alleged Russian involvement in James Comey's firing.
Aug. 5 2026, Published 8:01 p.m. ET
The White House has declassified information related to a secret FBI investigation probing whether President Donald Trump fired former Director James Comey in 2017 after alleged urging from Russia, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The memo released on Wednesday, August 5, claimed that the theory was not backed up by evidence.
Operation Oxferd Comma
The White House declassified the memo in August 2026.
The investigation, codenamed Operation Oxferd Comma, was launched in 2017.
"The FBI is opening a full investigation based on an articulable factual basis that reasonably indicates that President Donald J. Trump may be or has been, wittingly or unwittingly, involved in activities for or on behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation which may constitute violations of federal criminal law or threats to the national security of the United States," the memo approved by then-FBI General Counsel James Baker and then-Assistant Director for Counterintelligence William Priestap read, according to the White House.
Donald Trump and James Comey have had a contentious past.
"The goal of the investigation is to determine if President Trump is or was directed by, controlled by, and/or coordinated activities with, the Russian Federation in a manner constituting a threat to the national security of the United States and/or a violation of federal criminal statutes," the document noted.
"In addition, this investigation will also seek to determine whether President Trump and others yet to be named obstructed and/or conspiracy to obstruct any associated FBI investigation."
'Debunked or Ruled Out'
A White House official claimed the theory had been 'ruled out.'
The nearly two-year investigation eventually became part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into the 80-year-old POTUS.
"I was unaware that the predicate for the obstruction included a claim that Donald Trump was somehow acting on behalf of Vladimir Putin," a White House official said, per CBS News. "The short of it is, almost everything in the FBI's possession at that point had debunked or ruled out that Trump or his campaign was colluding with Russia at that time."
James Comey's Indictment
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James Comey deleted a social media post that read '8647.'
Comey has a history of being critical of Trump and his administration. As Radar previously reported, the former FBI director was indicted in April in connection with a shared social media post that showed seashells on the beach that spelled out "8647."
While Comey explained it was a slang term from his younger years that meant to "ditch" something and it "never occurred" to him it could be associated with violence, Trump suggested it had been a threat against him.
"I posted it on my Instagram account and thought nothing more of it, until I heard through her that people were saying it was some sort of a call for assassination, which is crazy," Comey said at the time. "I don’t want to be associated with violence of any kind."
However, Trump hit back at his explanation.
"He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant, that meant assassination," the POTUS told Fox News. "And it says it loud and clear."
