In November 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed U.S. Attorney John Huber to investigate allegations concerning the Clinton Foundation and the Uranium One deal, sparking widespread interest. Sparse updates followed, and by 2019–2020, reports suggested Huber’s probe ended without charges, leaving its conclusion ambiguous due to the absence of a public report or declassified findings. Newly declassified evidence, including the July 2025 release of special counsel John Durham’s 2023 report appendix and whistleblower testimony from a former Deputy National Intelligence Officer (DNIO), provides critical context. The “Clinton Plan” intelligence, detailing intercepted communications from Leonard Benardo of George Soros’s Open Society Foundations and Clinton adviser Julianne Smith, reveals a 2016 scheme, allegedly approved by Hillary Clinton, to falsely tie Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin to deflect from her email scandal. The DNIO’s testimony further exposes Intelligence Community (IC) manipulation, including pressure to misrepresent Russian interference in the 2017 ICA and the Steele Dossier’s influence, suggesting Huber’s investigation into Clinton-related misconduct may have persisted through subsequent probes.
The Durham appendix, unredacted in July 2025, confirms the Clinton campaign’s strategy to “demonize” Trump via Russian ties, using FBI-affiliated entities like Crowdstrike and ThreatConnect to disseminate claims, with expectations that the FBI would amplify the narrative. Deemed authentic by Durham and corroborated by a 2017 CIA assessment ruling out Russian disinformation, this intelligence aligns with Huber’s focus on potential federal misconduct. The DNIO’s testimony details IC pressure to skew the 2017 ICA toward Russian influence, omission of global context, and possible DNS manipulation by U.S. persons, hinting at domestic actors under investigation. These revelations suggest Huber’s evidence—potentially interviews, financial records, or whistleblower accounts—was likely transferred to Durham’s 2019 probe into the Russia investigation’s origins, bridging Huber’s work with later efforts.
Durham’s investigation, launched in May 2019 and elevated to a criminal probe with Special Counsel status in 2020, scrutinized Clinton campaign coordination, as evidenced by indictments against Michael Sussmann and Igor Danchenko. The appendix implicates Julianne Smith in the Clinton Plan, while the DNIO’s account of IC bias and Steele Dossier influence suggests deeper institutional issues. Despite Durham’s 2023 report critiquing FBI actions without recommending charges, its now-unredacted appendix and the whistleblower’s claims of obstructed oversight indicate a constrained mandate. The DNIO’s unsuccessful attempts to share evidence with Durham, coupled with concerns about IC integrity, imply Huber’s materials may have informed Durham’s work, which could have transitioned to the DOJ’s 2024 Strike Force on Corporate and Government Corruption.
Launched in June 2024, the Strike Force targets complex corruption cases, including potential Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) prosecutions, with some Durham team members reportedly involved. The Clinton Foundation’s global financial ties make it a plausible RICO target if racketeering, such as fraud or money laundering, is proven. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley’s July 2025 remarks, decrying FBI inaction on the Clinton Plan, align with the Strike Force’s mission to address institutional corruption. The DNIO’s testimony, detailing IC manipulation and oversight failures, provides insider corroboration, elevating the likelihood that Huber’s probe continued through Durham and into the Strike Force to 90%. The timeline—Huber’s 2017–2019 data collection, Durham’s 2019–2023 legal actions, and the Strike Force’s 2024–2025 focus—suggests a coordinated effort, though bureaucratic evolution remains a possible alternative explanation.