WASHINGTON – As President Donald Trump’s second term unleashes a torrent of investigations into the 2016 Russia probe, calls for treason charges against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and ex-President Barack Obama have reached fever pitch among conservatives. The “Russia hoax”—Trump’s enduring label for the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation—remains a flashpoint, with a newly declassified appendix to Special Counsel John Durham’s 2023 report fueling accusations of a deliberate plot to undermine his presidency. But legal experts warn that treason, a high bar under Article III of the Constitution requiring aid to enemies in wartime, is a non-starter.
Durham’s probe, costing $6.5 million, excoriated the FBI for launching a full investigation on scant evidence—a tip about Trump aide George Papadopoulos—while slow-walking probes into Clinton’s emails. The annex, released in August 2025, spotlights Russian intelligence alleging Clinton approved a July 2016 plan to tie Trump to Russia, distracting from her server scandal. It suggests Obama quashed an FBI inquiry into Clinton and that her campaign funded the Steele dossier, opposition research amplified by media and officials. “This was a Clinton-orchestrated hoax,” thundered Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who declassified the files, blasting the “Obama-Biden FBI” for burying leads.
Trump allies like House Speaker Mike Johnson echo the cry: “Treasonous sabotage—lock them up!” Kash Patel, now FBI director, vowed probes into “deep state origins.” Yet Durham never charged Clinton or Obama, concluding no criminal conspiracy despite insinuations. The annex notes the “Clinton Plan” emails were likely Russian fabrications—hacked and stitched together to sow discord—undermining GOP claims. “Treason? It’s hyperbole,” said NYU law professor Ryan Goodman. “Durham found bias and sloppiness, not betrayal of country.”
Democrats dismiss the uproar as revenge porn. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it “Nixonian deflection” from Trump’s own scandals. With indictments of Comey and James piling up, the question lingers: Justice or jihad? As midterms loom, charging icons like Clinton and Obama risks constitutional crisis—but for Trump’s base, it’s the ultimate reckoning.
