President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping presidential memorandum ordering the immediate declassification of all FBI files related to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.
The announcement, delivered by White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf, directs federal agencies to release comprehensive documents surrounding the FBI’s 2016 probe into alleged connections between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russian officials.
Trump did not mince words about the investigation, calling it a “total weaponization” of government power.
“It’s a disgrace,” Trump stated firmly. “It never happened in this country. But now you’ll be able to see for yourselves, all declassified.”
Scharf confirmed that the memorandum encompasses nearly all FBI files, with only a separate annex remaining classified.
“Other than that, this will put everything in the public eye,” he explained, as reported by Trending Politics.
The outlet further noted that the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, which began in July 2016 during the Obama administration, became a centerpiece of allegations claiming Trump colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election. However, subsequent investigations, including the Mueller report and the Durham investigation, failed to substantiate these claims and instead revealed significant procedural misconduct.
In a concurrent action that underscores the administration’s commitment to transparency, Trump also pardoned Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden who had become a key whistleblower.
Archer, previously convicted in a securities fraud case, had testified before Congress about the Biden family’s foreign business dealings.
Trending Politics reported that Scharf highlighted the unusual circumstances surrounding Archer’s prosecution, noting that “the tone and tenor of that prosecution changed dramatically” after Archer began cooperating with congressional investigators.
Trump echoed this sentiment, declaring Archer had been “treated very unfairly.”
Archer’s notoriety stems from his involvement with Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company where both he and Hunter Biden served on the board of directors starting in 2014.
His testimony has been crucial in ongoing investigations into potential influence-peddling by the Biden family. Of particular significance, Archer previously testified to the House Oversight Committee that Hunter would occasionally put his father on speakerphone during business meetings to impress clients; a detail that has fueled further scrutiny of the Biden family’s international business relationships.
He testified that Biden spoke with Hunter Biden and his business associates “more than 20 times,” according to a 2023 report from the Daily Caller.
White House spokesperson Ian Sams, however, tweeted after Archer’s testimony that “President Biden was not involved in his son’s business” while Hunter Biden’s lawyer had previously stated his family members were not part of his foreign business dealings.
These recent twin actions from Trump—the comprehensive declassification of FBI files and the pardon of a key whistleblower—represent a bold statement from his administration about transparency and accountability in government.
