Declassified U.S. intelligence documents reveal Clinton campaign’s alleged effort to link Trump to Russia as a political strategy during the 2016 election.

July 31, 2025 – A newly declassified U.S. intelligence report alleges that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton personally approved a plan during the 2016 presidential election to tie Donald Trump to Russia in an effort to distract from the growing controversy over her private email server.

The explosive revelation comes from documents released Thursday, which claim Clinton’s campaign adviser proposed the plan as a political strategy—and that Clinton herself greenlit the idea to advance the narrative of Trump’s collusion with Russian operatives.

A Strategy to Distract

According to the intelligence briefings, the alleged plan was designed to divert public and media attention away from the email investigation that dogged Clinton throughout the 2016 race. At the time, the FBI had launched an inquiry into her use of a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State, which became a focal point of political and public criticism.

The report says the plan was meant not only to shift attention but also to create a “narrative” that Trump was secretly aligned with the Kremlin, posing a national security threat if elected.

U.S. Intelligence and Congressional Reactions

Intelligence officials reportedly informed then-President Obama, FBI Director James Comey, and other senior figures in the summer of 2016 about Clinton’s approval of the smear plan. While the FBI did pursue investigations into possible links between Trump’s campaign and Russia, the origins of those investigations have long been the subject of scrutiny and political controversy.

Republican lawmakers seized on the latest disclosures, accusing Clinton and members of the intelligence community of manipulating public opinion during a critical election cycle. “This confirms what many of us have suspected all along—that the Trump-Russia collusion story was, at its core, a political hit job,” one senior GOP senator stated.

Clinton Allies Push Back

Clinton allies have strongly denied any wrongdoing. A spokesperson for Clinton’s 2016 campaign dismissed the claims as “politically motivated fiction” and pointed out that multiple investigations, including the Mueller probe, found credible evidence of Russian interference in the election—even if no direct conspiracy with the Trump campaign was established.

Ongoing Debate Over 2016 Election Tactics

The declassified files have reignited fierce debate over the ethics and legality of campaign tactics during the 2016 election. They also raise questions about the use of intelligence for political purposes and the media’s role in amplifying unverified claims during a contentious and historic race.

As Washington absorbs the implications of the report, one thing is clear: nearly a decade later, the political shockwaves of the 2016 election are far from over.