The predicate for Oxferd Comma was Trump’s May 2017 decision to remove Comey shortly after taking office, according to the documents declassified on Wednesday. FBI agents characterized the inquiry as the least intrusive means of addressing what they considered a serious national security concern, according to information released by the White House.

The case was designated sensitive, limiting its visibility within the bureau, and was later folded into special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Solomon, a conservative investigative journalist known for pursuing leads related to the origins and fallout of the Trump-Russia investigations, said the records show the FBI investigated Trump on the theory that he was acting as a Russian agent when he dismissed Comey over his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

He argued that the bureau possessed significant information contradicting that theory when Oxferd Comma was opened. By that point, Solomon said, agents had identified problems with the Steele dossier, cleared former national security adviser Michael Flynn of suspected collusion, and been told that former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page had previously served as a CIA operational contact.

The declassified release also revealed a text message in which then-FBI official Peter Strzok told bureau lawyer Lisa Page that there was “no big there there,” as well as concerns raised by FBI agent William Barnett, who worked on the Flynn investigation. Barnett later told investigators that he had not found evidence of coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia and believed the inquiry had become a fruitless exercise.

The release also renewed scrutiny of former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who wrote a memorandum criticizing Comey’s handling of the Clinton email investigation before Trump dismissed the FBI director.

“Remarkably, the man who knew the real reason why Comey was fired for violating DOJ policy in the Clinton probe — then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein — allowed the case to go forward and authorized Mueller’s appointment,” Solomon wrote Wednesday.

The White House under the first Trump administration cited Comey’s handling of the Clinton investigation when explaining his dismissal. Mueller’s subsequent report said Trump was also frustrated that Comey would not publicly announce that the president was not personally under investigation over potential ties to Russia.

Comey’s firing helped set in motion the appointment of Mueller, whom Rosenstein selected as special counsel in May 2017 to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible links between Russia and Trump’s campaign.

Mueller’s investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election-interference activities. His report documented contacts between campaign associates and people linked to Russia but reached no traditional prosecutorial judgment on whether Trump obstructed justice.

Oxferd Comma was ultimately absorbed into Mueller’s wider investigation and closed without producing charges or substantiating the theory that Trump had acted as a Russian asset in firing Comey, according to the information released Wednesday.

Trump has long accused the FBI and other intelligence agencies of improperly targeting his campaign and presidency. He has repeatedly criticized Comey and denounced Crossfire Hurricane and the Mueller investigation as politically motivated.

The release could also fuel an ongoing investigation in South Florida being handled in part by special U.S. Attorney Joe diGenova. A grand jury formed in the federal district has issued subpoenas to former officials, including ex-CIA Director John Brennan and Comey, among others.

Comey, meanwhile, has maintained that the FBI’s Russia investigation was properly opened and has described Trump as morally unfit for office.

Comey was charged by the Trump administration last year on counts related to alleged perjury during his 2020 testimony to Congress, though the case was dismissed after a judge found the prosecutor handling the case was improperly appointed. He faces a separate indictment in North Carolina on allegations that he threatened the president last year with a post on social media involving seashells that spelled out “86 47.” He has pleaded not guilty to all of the counts in both cases.

JOHN SOLOMON’S TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ROLE DRAWS ETHICS SCRUTINY

Solomon’s dual role as a media executive and special government employee drew scrutiny in July after he helped craft Trump’s prime-time address and assisted with the release of declassified files concerning the 2020 election.

The declassified documents released at that time identified vulnerabilities in election systems but did not show that foreign interference changed votes or altered the election’s outcome. Following the address, Solomon acknowledged that the intelligence community had found “zero evidence” that a foreign power changed votes in the 2020, 2022, or 2024 elections.