5 Things You Need to Know About the Pentagon's 'Crossfire' Hurricane Investigation
- The term 'crossfire' is the operational codename for the FBI's original investigation into potential coordination between the Trump 2016 campaign and Russia, predating Special Counsel Mueller's probe.
- This 'crossfire' inquiry was officially opened in July 2016 after receiving intelligence suggesting a Trump campaign aide had contact with known Russian operatives.
- The key controversy centers on the FISA warrant obtained against former Trump advisor Carter Page, which relied heavily on the unverified Steele Dossier that the FBI later admitted had serious reliability issues.
- Attorney General John Durham concluded that the FBI's 'crossfire' operation lacked any "actual probable cause" and was launched without objective evidence of a crime.
- Key players in the 'crossfire' probe—including James Comey, Andrew McCabe, and Peter Strzok—have been penalized, fired, or resigned amid findings of "gross incompetence" and political bias in the Bureau's leadership.