Professor known for ‘torture memos’ will advise conspiracy probe focused on perceived Trump foes
PBS NewsHour – Politics — 2026-06-29 18:16:00 — www.pbs.org
Donald Trump Continues to Demand Retribution Over Russia Investigation, Despite Lack of Evidence of Criminal Conspiracy
Donald Trump has maintained a persistent stance that top law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired against him, continuing to demand retribution for investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. According to the Associated Press, Trump has sought to punish officials from the FBI and CIA who scrutinized his campaign and presidency, despite multiple investigations finding no criminal misconduct by senior officials.
### Trump’s Claims of Conspiracy
The excerpt reports that Trump has “continued to demand retribution and has sought to punish top officials from that time at the FBI and CIA.” This position comes even after a 2019 report by special counsel Robert Mueller affirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to boost Trump and that the Trump campaign “repeatedly welcomed the assistance.” However, the Mueller report did not find sufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Moscow.
### Fact-Checking Trump’s Narrative
Subsequent investigations into the Russia probe identified procedural errors and one instance of an FBI lawyer pleading guilty to doctoring an email. However, none of the reviews found criminal misconduct by any senior law enforcement or intelligence official involved in the investigation. Despite these findings, Trump has continued to push the narrative that he was the target of a criminal conspiracy, a claim not substantiated by the available evidence.
### Ongoing Investigations
The Justice Department is currently investigating claims of a long-running conspiracy to bring down Trump, with law professor John Yoo advising prosecutors. The scope of this investigation remains unclear, and it is not known whether any criminal charges will be brought.
### Conclusion
Donald Trump’s ongoing demands for retribution against officials involved in the Russia investigation stand in contrast to the findings of multiple official inquiries, which have not identified criminal wrongdoing by senior officials. While Trump continues to assert that he was the victim of a conspiracy, the factual record established by the Mueller report and other reviews does not support these claims. This ongoing dispute underscores the deep divisions and persistent mistrust surrounding the investigations into the 2016 election.