The investigation triggered mass hysteria that pushed Washington into “a proxy war” with Moscow, the former US president has claimed
Former US President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a political rally at Erie Insurance Arena on July 29, 2023 in Erie, Pennsylvania. © Jeff Swensen / Getty Images / AFP
A probe into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 American presidential election undermined relations with Moscow which ultimately led to the Ukraine conflict, former US president and current candidate Donald Trump said in an op-ed published on Monday.
Writing for Newsweek, Trump slammed the congressional investigation into his campaign’s purported ties with Russia, claiming that the report by special counsel John Durham proved that “the Russia Hoax was the most atrocious weaponization” of the US government in history.
The long-awaited document, which was released in May, found that the FBI should have never launched a probe into Trump’s ties with Russia as it was based on biased sources.
The ex-president insisted that “an unelected cabal” of senior US officials acting in concert with former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton sought to stop his election in 2016 and then undermine his term in office.
According to Trump, their disruptive efforts came “at a critical moment when we should have been reducing tensions with Russia” but instead “the Russia Hoax stoked mass hysteria that helped drive Russia straight into the arms of China.”
Instead of having a better relationship with Russia as I worked to build, we now have a proxy war with Russia, fueled in part by the lingering fumes of Russiagate delirium. Ukraine has been utterly devastated. Untold numbers of people have been killed. And we could very well end up in World War III.
US authorities accused Russia of interfering in the 2016 presidential election to hurt Clinton and to boost the Republican candidacy of Donald Trump, an allegation which has been vehemently denied by Moscow. Trump and his campaign were also investigated for potential collusion with Moscow, but US authorities failed to find evidence to bring any conspiracy or coordination charges.
READ MORE: Trump outlines why US must improve relations with Russia
Meanwhile, Trump, who is running for re-election in 2024, has repeatedly said that he could end hostilities in Ukraine in 24 hours should he become president again. He has also criticized the way the administration of US President Joe Biden is handling the conflict, noting in May that Washington is “giving away so much equipment” to Kiev while it does not have enough munitions for itself.
