McCarthy just LIT UP this CNN reporter about them hiring McCabe and Clapper after they leaked classified information and interfered in 2020 pic.twitter.com/JyZg171M0z
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 12, 2023
The final chapter of a lengthy investigation into the origins of the so-called Russiagate saga has officially closed, and several high-ranking figures from the saga are cashing in.
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former FBI Agent Peter Strzok, and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page all emerged as key players throughout the course of the three investigations into colluded with the Kremlin for their own political gain. And now, following the release of John Durham’s report, they are all collecting prime television and book deals.
The Durham report concluded that the origins of Russiagate were based on "raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated intelligence." And still, despite the ultimate findings, McCabe, Brennan, Clapper, Strzok, and Page continued to use their influence over the narrative as the investigations were ongoing.
Although there was no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, aides of Hillary Clinton reportedly had a plan to tie the Trump campaign with Russia in order to distract from the scandal surrounding her private email server. According to Durham’s report, intelligence pertaining to the plan was briefed to McCabe, Brennan, and Clapper in September 2016, yet media outlets were led to believe that the Russia investigations began due to Trump campaign aides sharing information with Russia.
Also according to the report, Strzok and Page, who had an extramarital affair, were heavily involved in the launches of Crossfire Hurricane in July 2016. In messages exchanged between the pair during the presidential election season, Page suggested that the FBI should tread lightly when it came to its investigation into Hillary Clinton, writing to Strzok that "the last thing you need [is] going in there loaded for bear. You think she's going to remember or care that it was more doj than fbi?"
When the results of the Mueller probe were released, Brennan admitted that agencies may have "received bad information" and that he personally "suspected there was more" to the collusion theory "than there actually was." Clapper also maintained his support of the investigation by saying there was no spying on the Trump campaign, despite four investigations being launched in August 2016, and dismissed GOP-led claims of "SpyGate."
Strzok and Page have been rewarded in spite of their anti-Trump bias with Stzok joining MSNBC as an unpaid regular and Page, an MSNBC contributor since June 2020. Weissman, who worked closely with Mueller, was also hired by MSNBC shortly after the probes wrapped up in 2019.
McCabe and Brennan, both of whom have employment contracts with news outlets as contributors, spoke out against Durham’s report calling it a “political errand” and “not a legitimate investigation” geared towards helping Trump out.
Despite the conclusions of the investigations -- or lack thereof -- these key players in Russiagate continue to gain fame and profit from the highly controversial saga.