Crossfire Hurricane was a coup attempt by the Deep State
| Crossfire Hurricane was a coup attempt by the Deep State | |
|---|---|
| MISLEADING | |
| "The FBI's Russia investigation was a plot by senior officials to remove or sabotage President Trump." | |
| Domain | Politics & Elections |
| Tactic | Conspiracy Theory Propaganda Technique |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2017 |
| Origin | Statements by Trump allies from 2017, intensified after the Durham report and the 2025 declassifications |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-03 |
| Further reading: books on Politics & Elections | |
The claim that Crossfire Hurricane was a coup attempt by the Deep State describes the FBI's investigation, opened on July 31, 2016, as a coordinated plot rather than a flawed investigation.
What the evidence shows
- Official reviews found serious failures. The Inspector General's December 2019 report found the investigation was opened for an authorized purpose and with sufficient factual basis, and also found major failures in the surveillance applications. It found no documentary or testimonial evidence that political bias influenced the decision to open the case.
- Durham was harsher about the opening. John Durham's May 2023 report said the FBI should have opened a lesser preliminary inquiry first and criticized confirmation bias and a failure to test the case against contrary evidence. He did not charge a coup or conspiracy to do so.
- Some messages were damaging. Text messages between FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page showed hostility to Trump, and led to Strzok's removal from the Mueller team. The Inspector General said these messages undermined confidence, while not establishing that bias drove specific decisions.
- Prosecutions largely failed. Durham's three prosecutions produced one guilty plea (Clinesmith) and two acquittals (Michael Sussmann and Igor Danchenko).
- The matter is still in the courts. Reporting in September 2026 said a federal prosecutor in Florida investigating a "grand conspiracy" had subpoenaed former CIA director John Brennan, and that the lead prosecutor had resigned. A separate indictment of former FBI director James Comey was dismissed in November 2025 because the prosecutor's appointment was found unlawful. As of this review, no conviction has established a conspiracy.
Why it persists
Real misconduct (the altered email, the omissions) gives the larger theory a foundation. The theory of coordinated intent is much harder to show than that of institutional failure and bias.
Lessons for readers
- "Serious errors" and "coup" are different claims with different standards of proof.
- Distinguish findings, allegations and ongoing investigations.
See also
- Carter Page was a Russian agent
- The Durham report proved a treasonous conspiracy by Obama and Clinton
- Obama officials manufactured the 2017 Russia intelligence assessment in a treasonous conspiracy against Trump
Sources
- Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice, December 2019 report.
- Special Counsel John Durham, report, May 2023.
- Judge Cameron Currie, order dismissing the Comey and James cases, November 24, 2025.
- ABC News/AP, report on the Brennan subpoena, September 2026.