Probe Accuses Clinton Lawyer, Tech Executive of Trying to Link Trump to Russia

A federal investigator has accused a technology executive of distorting private White House data to paint evidence of collusion between former President Donald Trump and Russia.

Trump-appointed Special Counsel John Durham said in a court filing that a tech executive working with a Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer accessed data for the Trump White House and Trump Tower in an effort to create a narrative linking Trump to Russia. According to reports about the filing, Durham found no support for the allegations and accused the executive of exploiting his access "for the purpose of gathering derogatory information" on Trump. The lawyer was indicted in September for lying to the FBI about his connections to Clinton's campaign while attempting to advance a narrative about Trump and Russia. The tech executive hasn't been charged with a crime.

Durham's probe is a major story on the right; the left is covering it far less. The right focuses on the claim that Clinton paid to spy on Trump and lied about his relationship with Russia. Opinions from the right, such as from National Review (Right bias), treated Durham's probe as significant and fact-based; framed the FBI as incompetent and biased; and criticized mainstream media for a lack of coverage on Durham's probe. Coverage from the left often downplayed the Clinton connection and framed right-wing coverage as false or misleading. Columnist Paul Waldman (Left bias) argued that a conservative "propaganda machine" had distorted Durham's probe and demonized Clinton to appease voters.