Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson and Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley are pushing President Donald Trump to declassify remaining government records tied to the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation.
Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 approving the declassification of Crossfire Hurricane materials. Yet, the 400-page DOJ Inspection Division investigation report, critical government emails, and hundreds of transcripts originating from Department of Justice Office of Inspector General interviews are still classified.
“We appreciate your strong efforts to bring transparency and accountability to Crossfire Hurricane and its related investigations,” the senators wrote in a letter.
Requested Documents
The senators highlighted three specific sets of records they want released. First is a December 2019 email from Tony Riedlinger, then an FBI section chief, to FBI Supervisory Special Agent Joe Pientka. The lawmakers argue this email corroborates evidence that Trump was the target of a political hit. They requested that the DOJ, FBI, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declassify that email and its attachment.
Second, the DOJ produced an approximately 400-page Inspection Division investigation report on Crossfire Hurricane that remains classified. This report provides additional context separate from the Justice Department inspector general report. It includes extra interviews with personnel involved in the probe.
Finally, lawmakers requested the full set of transcripts created during the inspector general’s review titled Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane Investigation. The inspector general interviewed more than 170 individuals, producing 165 transcripts. Thus far, the lawmakers have been provided with 58 heavily redacted transcripts, alongside two memoranda of investigation and a single memorandum of record.
“Your administration possesses a treasure trove of records that prove out weaponization against Republicans, including you and your family, which we’ve investigated for many years,” the senators wrote. “These records need to see the light of day, consistent with your declassification Executive Order and the overriding public interest.”
Agencies withhold files despite executive order to open them
The push comes nearly a decade after the launch of the original 2016 FBI counterintelligence inquiry. While March 2025 brought an executive order aimed at opening these files, federal agencies continue to withhold parts of the paperwork.
The remaining transcripts and the full Inspection Division report lack specific release dates. Lawmakers have not yet received a formal timeline from the administration regarding when the remaining documents will clear security reviews.
Questions about Crossfire Hurricane transcripts and the December 2019 email
Why are the Crossfire Hurricane transcripts still redacted?
The Department of Justice Office of Inspector General created transcripts from more than 160 interviews during its review. Out of those interviews, senators have only received 58 redacted transcripts, with the remainder still classified or withheld pending further agency review.
What does the December 2019 email contain?
The document is an internal communication between former FBI section chief Tony Riedlinger and Supervisory Special Agent Joe Pientka. Lawmakers assert that the text and its attachment corroborate evidence that the probe targeted Donald Trump for political reasons.
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