House Intel Committee Releases Final Russia Report–No Collusion Found

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) speaks to reporters during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 22, 2017. Win McNamee/Getty Images

The House Intelligence Committee released the final report on its Russia investigation on Friday which concluded that the yearlong probe “found no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded, coordinated, or conspired with the Russian government.”

President Donald Trump celebrated the report’s release and pointed out one of the key findings: “that the Clinton campaign paid for opposition research obtained from Russia.”

“Wow! A total Witch Hunt!” Trump wrote on Twitter. “MUST END NOW!”

The 243-page document is the follow up to last month’s release of the committee’s summary findings. The report included significant redactions, so the committee may release more information as its members press the intelligence community (IC) for the redactions to be cleared.

“I am extremely disappointed with the overzealous redactions made by the IC. Many of the redactions include information that is publicly available, such as witness names and information previously declassified,” Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, the leader of the investigation said in a statement.

“When we started this investigation, we set out to give the American people the answers to the questions they’ve been asking and we promised to be as transparent as possible in our final report,“ he added. ”I don’t believe the information we’re releasing today meets that standard, which is why my team and I will continue to challenge the IC’s many unnecessary redactions with the hopes of releasing more of the report in the coming months.”

Last month’s report on the summary findings of the investigation found no proof of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Among other findings, the investigators determined that the anti-Trump dossier compiled by a British ex-spy and paid for by Hillary Clinton formed the core of the warrant application to surveil the Trump campaign, despite containing a battery of unverified claims.

Several officials who signed off on the warrant application have been referred for criminal investigation by 11 congressmen last week. Former FBI Director James Comey, Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, and former Acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente are facing charges of investigative misconduct and depriving the Trump campaign staffer who was surveilled of his rights.

The report also found that leaks of classified information alleging Russia’s intentions to elect Trump intensified after Trump was elected. The leaks “damaged national security and endangered lives” according to the summary. The report singled out Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper in the section on leaks and said that he “provided inconsistent information about his contacts with the media.”

Clapper now works for CNN.

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