TL;DR by CuriousCats.ai
Latest declassifications and the Oxferd Comma saga
- In 2026, the White House released declassified memos showing the FBI opened a secret probe into whether President Trump was acting as a Russian asset after firing Comey.
- The probe was named Oxferd Comma and began with a May 16, 2017 memo outlining its scope.
- The May 16 memo said the probe would determine whether Trump was directed by, controlled by, and/or coordinated with the Russian Federation and would address a threat to national security or possible federal violations.
- The May 16 memo also stated the investigation would look into obstruction or conspiracy to obstruct the FBI investigation.
- The memo was approved by James A. Baker and Bill Priestap.
- Oxferd Comma grew out of Crossfire Hurricane, the broader Russia investigation.
- The probe opened after Comey’s firing on May 9, 2017.
- May 19, 2017 text from Lisa Page shows misgivings about continuing to investigate.
- April 9, 2019: the Oxferd Comma probe was closed with no charges against Trump.
- Mueller found no evidence that Trump or aides coordinated with Russia; still found some contacts.
- 2023 Durham review concluded the FBI lacked a factual basis to open Crossfire Hurricane and showed bias by departing from standards.
- Oxferd Comma was rolled into Mueller's probe and was later found to have no merit when the Mueller investigation closed.
Context: Crossfire Hurricane, Mueller, and Durham
- Mueller found no evidence that the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia, though it noted some contacts.
- Durham 2023 concluded the FBI's opening of Crossfire Hurricane was seriously flawed and lacked a factual basis.
- May 19, 2017 text messages show FBI misgivings about pursuing collusion leads.
CuriousCats Full Story
Key Insight
“The investigation, codenamed 'Oxferd Comma,' was opened after Trump fired Comey and was later rolled into Mueller's probe, which found no evidence of collusion. The memos also reveal that FBI officials had misgivings, with one texting 'there's no big there there.'”
CuriousCats studied:
1
Fox News
Fox News“The investigation, codenamed "Oxferd Comma," opened after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in May 2017, according to the White House's release.”
Fox News →2
New York Post
“The FBI opened an investigation into whether President Trump was “wittingly or unwittingly” acting as a Russian agent when he , according to bombshell documents released by the White House Wednesday.”
New York Post →3
CBS News
CBS News“The White House on Wednesday released declassified information saying the FBI opened an investigation into whether President Trump was acting as an asset for Russia when he fired FBI Director James Comey, a theory an administration official said was not backed up by evidence.”
CBS News →Ask CuriousCats
What started the Oxferd Comma probe?
Why did the FBI open the probe?
How did it connect to Mueller?
How does this probe compare to Crossfire Hurricane?
Which probes faced comparable memos?
