Hillary Clinton approved plan hatched by campaign aides to ‘smear’ Trump with Russia collusion
By Josh Christenson
WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton approved a plan hatched by a campaign adviser to “smear” then-candidate Donald Trump with false claims of Russian collusion and distract from her own mounting emails scandal during the 2016 election, according to explosive intelligence files declassified Thursday.
The plan included “raising the theme of ‘Putin’s support for Trump'” and “subsequently steering public opinion toward the notion that it needs to equate” the Russian leader’s political influence campaign with actual interference in election infrastructure.
Hillary Clinton speaking at a 92NY event.
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Hillary Clinton approved a plan to ‘smear’ Trump with Russia collusion, according to declassified docs.
Getty Images
Illustration of a timeline detailing the creation of the Russia hoax.
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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Washington.
AP
“Clinton approved a plan proposed by one of her foreign policy advisors, Julianne Smith, to ‘smear Donald Trump by magnifying the scandal tied to the intrusion by the Russian special services in the pre-election process to benefit the Republican candidate,'” one of the declassified memos read.
Special counsel John Durham uncovered the information during a multi-year probe into intelligence activities during the 2016 election.
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“This political weaponization has caused critical damage to our institutions and is one of the biggest political scandals and cover-ups in American history. The new Trump administration has a tremendous responsibility to the American people to fix the damage done and do so with maximum speed and transparency.”
The Post reached out to reps for Clinton and Smith for comment.
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