Trump plunges into ‘treacherous charade’ of Russian collusion investigation

Donald Trump has lashed out at ex-FBI director James Comey after a new report concluded that his investigation into alleged Russian collusion should never have been opened.

The former president, who has long dismissed the investigation as a “witch hunt,” said in an interview with Fox News Digital that those officials must be held accountable.

“I, and more importantly, the American public at the time, fell victim to this long-running and insidious charade started by the Democrats – started by Comey,” said the 76-year-old real estate mogul.

“Public anger over this report is at a level I have not seen before…there is a high price to pay for our country to go through this,” he added.

Trump, who is the runaway favorite for the Republican presidential nomination, later lashed out at the FBI again on his Truth Social platform.

‘WOW! After extensive investigation, Special Counsel John Durham concludes that the FBI should never have launched the Trump-Russia probe!” said Trump.

“In other words, the American public was scammed, just as it is now being scammed by those who don’t want to see GREATNESS for AMERICA!” he added.

Special Counsel John Durham’s report, released earlier Monday, concluded that the Justice Department and FBI “failed to live up to their mission of strict adherence to the law.”

It comes after his years of research into the origins of the FBI’s original investigation known as “Crossfire Hurricane.”

Investigators investigated whether the Trump campaign collaborated with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Durham’s job, under an order from then-Attorney General Barr, was to investigate the origins of Crossfire Hurricane, which launched in July 2016, as well as Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s subsequent investigation launched in May 201.

But the special counsel said senior FBI personnel showed “a serious lack of analytical rigor” and a “significant reliance on investigative leads provided or funded (directly or indirectly) by Trump’s political opponents.”

In a statement, the FBI said the agency’s current leadership has taken dozens of corrective actions.

“Had those reforms taken place in 2016, the missteps identified in the report could have been avoided,” the FBI said in a statement.

Trump has repeatedly dismissed claims of Russian collusion as a ‘hoax’ and ‘a witch hunt’

Special Counsel John Durham has been investigating the FBI investigation for four years

Durham’s investigation led to the indictments of a Russian national and a prominent Washington attorney for making false statements to the FBI, but both were acquitted.

The Russian, Igor Danchenko, was accused of providing information for a report of unverified lewd information about Trump and Russia, known as the “Steele dossier,” prepared by a former British intelligence agent, Christopher Steele.

The special counsel on Friday delivered the report on his four-year investigation, which has cost more than $6 million in taxpayers’ money, to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The attorney general then sent a copy to top members of Congress before making it public.

Lindsey Graham, a Republican lawmaker from South Carolina, used the findings to lash out at the US media.

“The New York Times and the Washington Post have been awarded a Pulitzer Prize for writing a load of politically motivated nonsense,” Graham wrote on Twitter.

“When it comes to coverage of Donald Trump, the mainstream media is dead,” he added.