Kesh Patel (Photo: Will Oliver/EPA)

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kesh Patel has uncovered thousands of classified documents related to the investigation into US President Donald Trump's ties to Russia. This was reported by Fox News with reference to unnamed interlocutors familiar with the matter.

They said that Patel found the documents in a special room at FBI headquarters where confidential materials are burned. Several burn bags were found filled with thousands of documents.

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One of the documents found in the bags was a classified appendix to former Special Counsel John Durham's final report, which contains key intelligence that he had reviewed.

Decisions to declassify the app are made by Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, Patel himself, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Acting Director of the National Security Agency William Hartman.

After that, the document will be handed over to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, who will make it public.

The interlocutors informed journalists of some of the contents of the secret annex – including that the US intelligence community has reliable foreign sources indicating that the FBI had a role to play in spreading the story of alleged Trump-Russia collusion – even before the bureau began its investigation.

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A source familiar with the contents of the secret annex said that while it may not have been clear at the time what the intelligence gathering meant, in retrospect it predicted the FBI's next move with "disturbing accuracy".

"Ultimately, the release of the secret memo will lend more credence to the allegation that there was a coordinated plan within the U.S. government to help the campaign of Hillary Clinton [Democratic candidate] stoke controversy over Trump's ties to Russia," he said.

"Just a few days after receiving this information, the FBI launched Operation Crossfire Hurricane," one of the sources said, adding that he did not know how former FBI, CIA and National Intelligence officials would explain this.

The media recalled that in a June interview, Patel said he had found a room full of documents and computer hard drives "that no one had ever seen or heard of." However, at the time, he did not disclose details about the content of the documents.

BACKGROUND.
 Crossfire Hurricane is the code name for the FBI's investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. It began in July 2016 after information provided by an Australian diplomat about a meeting between Trump adviser George Papadopoulos and Russian officials. The goal was to investigate possible Russian attempts to interfere in the election through hacking and fake news. The special prosecutor was Robert Mueller, but the investigation did not confirm collusion between Trump and Russia, although attempts to obstruct justice were recorded.
  • In March 2025, Trump ordered the FBI to declassify the materials of the Crossfire Hurricane case, which concerns alleged ties between his campaign headquarters and Russia in 2016.
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