Federal prosecutors have unsealed records detailing what was in the five “burn bags” that were stashed away in a secret back room at FBI headquarters – and discovered by Director Kash Patel’s FBI.
The bags were stuffed with classified documents – tied to former Director James Comey’s tenure – that many say weren’t supposed to ‘survive the burn.”
The bags had proof of the schemes and politically charged investigations run by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama against President Donald Trump – including the debunked Trump-Russia collusion narrative.
The filing is being released as part of the ongoing prosecution against Comey and it exposes the frantic scramble by FBI insiders to destroy the documents before Trump was inaugurated.
At the heart of the revelation is a document sent directly to Comey on September 7, 2016 – a counterintelligence operational lead (CIOL).
This document was said to be missing for years, and contained intelligence related to *foreign* interference in the 2016 U.S. election. However, Comey denied, under oath, ever seeing the document saying he was “unfamiliar” with it and the intelligence it contained.
The burn bags’ triggered an FBI investigation into violations of the federal statute prohibiting the ‘concealment, removal, or mutilation of government records and evidence.’
Prosecutors argue the materials could expose systemic abuses within the bureau during the Obama-era investigations that targeted Trump. Details from the unsealed records include five burn bags, Mar-a-Lago search documents, Jan 6th files, and the Classified Appendix to the Durham Report****
Details from the unsealed records include:
Five Burn Bags: Discovered in a secure compartmented information facility (SCIF) next to the FBI director’s office, these red disposal bags held thousands of pages of sensitive files – intended for destruction.
Mar-a-Lago Search Documents: Classified records from the 2022 FBI raid on President Trump’s Florida residence, including operational notes and evidence logs that may contradict official narratives on the classified documents case.
January 6 Files: Internal memos and investigative leads from the investigation into the 2021 events, potentially highlighting omitted exculpatory evidence or biased handling by FBI agents.
Crossfire Hurricane Investigation Materials: Core documents from the 2016 Trump-Russia collusion investigation, including FISA warrant applications and informant reports that fueled the now-discredited hoax.
Classified Appendix to the Durham Report: A redacted copy of the secret annex from Special Counsel John Durham’s 2023 investigation, which scrutinized the FBI’s origins of the Russia investigation and alleged ties to Clinton campaign operatives.
