Declassified files show FBI opened separate Trump and Sessions investigations in May 2017 after Comey’s firing
White House declassification released memos indicating that the FBI launched a counter‑intelligence inquiry, code‑named “Oxferd Comma,” on May 16 2017 to determine whether President Donald Trump was directed, controlled, or coordinated with the Russian Federation after he dismissed James Comey. The memo referenced FBI General Counsel James Baker and Counterintelligence Division Assistant Director Bill Priestap and notes that Acting Director Andrew McCabe informed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who then appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel.
A second memo documents that the FBI opened a separate investigation, code‑named “MARCH TOLL,” on May 10 2017—one day after the Comey firing—following a March 20 letter from Senators Patrick Leahy and Al Franken questioning Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s testimony about Russian contacts. The Sessions file was classified as a Sensitive Investigative Matter, stored in a SCIF, and remained active until May 2018 when Special Counsel Aaron Zebley closed it without charges.
How this was covered
- Right-leaning coverage is the most divided on this story
Why it matters
The disclosures reveal how the FBI responded to the Comey dismissal by opening distinct investigations into the president and the attorney general, raising questions about the scope and oversight of those inquiries.
How the sides frame it
LOW AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage stresses that the declassified files show a baseless probe that Mueller found no evidence of wrongdoing, framing it as a politically motivated “revenge plot,” while right-leaning coverage highlights the secret FBI investigation as evidence of a deep-state effort to target Trump, emphasizing the seriousness of the allegations and the code-named operation.
LEFT
The declassified documents reveal a groundless FBI inquiry that was folded into Mueller’s investigation and found no evidence of Trump acting as a Russian asset, suggesting the probe was a politically motivated “revenge plot.”
RIGHT
The declassified records expose a secret FBI counter-intelligence probe that treated Trump as a potential Russian asset, portraying it as a deep-state attempt to frame the president.
The left emphasises
- the probe was “groundless” and “no evidence” was found (Mueller’s report)
- the investigation was a “new twist” or “revenge plot” against Trump
- the FBI’s action was a sub-component of the broader Crossfire Hurricane case
The right emphasises
- the FBI opened a secret “Oxferd Comma” probe after the Comey firing
- the probe alleged Trump might have been directed or controlled by Russia
- the documents show FBI officials and senior officials approving the investigation
How this story developed
- Aug 5 White House releases declassified files on FBI probe into Trump’s 2017 Comey firing
- Aug 5 The White House released the declassified memos this week.
- Aug 11 Declassified records also detail the FBI’s May 10 2017 “MARCH TOLL” investigation into Jeff Sessions.
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