A puzzling turn of events, a massive 10-inch thick binder packed with classified details on Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election has vanished from the West Wing. The report, highlighted by Rolling Stone on December 15, 2023, discloses that the binder was slated for declassification at the end of Donald Trump’s presidency but has never surfaced.
Originally shifted from the CIA to the White House just before Trump’s departure, the binder was intended for declassification by the former president. However, intelligence officials thwarted Trump’s declassification attempts even after he left office.
While redacted versions now rest in the National Archives, the original remains elusive. Conflicting accounts from former White House officials muddy the waters regarding its fate.
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According to a January 2021 White House memo, Trump claimed to have personally received the binder and aimed to declassify its contents. Yet, conflicting testimony from former aide Cassidy Hutchinson suggests that the binder might have ended up with ex-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
There are suspicions that Trump, anticipating the Biden administration, feared the destruction of documents that could exonerate him from allegations of collusion with Russia. The missing binder is thought to contain critical information about the FBI’s investigation into Trump’s campaign ties with Russia, a probe Trump vehemently criticized as a witch hunt and a hoax.
The binder could hold insights into the controversial dossier by ex-British spy Christopher Steele, alleging compromising connections between Trump and Russia. This dossier, partially funded by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign, played a role in obtaining a secret surveillance warrant on former Trump adviser Carter Page.
The enigmatic disappearance raises questions about the possible political implications and the future fate of this crucial piece of the Russia probe puzzle.
