Russiagate was “literally” a coup against President Donald Trump that meets the “criminal elements” of a conspiracy, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller declared on Sunday.

Documents that were declassified by the Trump administration indicate Hillary Clinton may have approved a Russia collusion hoax against Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. In addition, former special Counsel John Durham found the Obama-era FBI appeared to ignore intelligence that indicated Clinton’s campaign, its supporters, or Russian disinformation fueled allegations of ties between Trump’s camp and Moscow in order to distract from her email controversy.

“The Russia collusion hoax against President Trump remains the single greatest hoax and the greatest assault on our democracy in the history of this country,” Miller said during a Fox News interview with “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo. “There’s no comparison, there’s no parallel to anything else. It was a coup. And I’m using that term literally. … It meets the criminal elements of a conspiracy against the government and the criminal elements of a conspiracy to deprive citizens of their civil rights under color of law, one egregious felony after another.”

“The Russia collusion hoax against President Trump remains the single greatest hoax and the greatest assault on our democracy in the history of this country,” says @StephenM.

“It was a coup, and I’m using that term literally … One egregious felony after another.” pic.twitter.com/Y88hXagAYK

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 3, 2025

Former President Barack Obama and top national security veterans from his administration have pushed back on claims of there being a “treasonous conspiracy” associated with the Russia collusion fiasco.

“The special counsel John Durham, who was appointed during Mr. Trump’s first term to investigate how the Russia probe was conducted, similarly found no evidence of an Obama administration conspiracy against Mr. Trump,” Former CIA Director John Brennan and ex-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper wrote in a New York Times op-ed. “But he affirmed the findings of the special counsel Robert Mueller, who conducted a separate investigation into the allegations, which found ample evidence of Russian interference in the election.”

But Miller argued the new information “eliminates any scintilla of doubt about the intention, the premeditation, the planning and orchestration of this conspiracy.” Miller also agreed with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, a former prosecutor and congressman who told Bartiromo last week that he did not believe the statute of limitations would be a hinderance because the alleged conspiracy is ongoing.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has initiated a “strike force” tasked with evaluating the evidence relating the Obama administration’s efforts to drive the Russia collusion allegations in response to various documents that are being disclosed to the public, such as findings that purportedly show officials manufactured and manipulated intelligence regarding Russia to undermine Trump.

Miller, who contended that the country was placed at risk with the “entire security apparatus of this country focusing on the hoax,” said he has “every hope and expectation that the Department of Justice, under the leadership of our courageous attorney general, will follow these facts and follow the evidence and deliver justice.”

He added: “Because, if we have a country where we can continue to have FBI careerists and CIA careerists, deep staters, who will fabricate and doctor evidence, who will create and produce fake material, fabricated material, phony information to try to go after their political enemies, up to and including the president, if we continue to create the impression and the reality that there is not a criminal, a severe criminal penalty for such conduct, it will never stop. It will never desist. It will keep on going forever. And we will continue to have a country that is sabotaged endlessly by the production of fake documents, fake material, fake plots against democratically elected officials. We can’t have that. There must be consequences.”

The GOP-led Senate began its August recess on Saturday evening after President Donald Trump condemned a potential deal between Republicans and Democrats on confirming his nominees.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had been “demanding” more than $1 billion in exchange for Democrats not impeding the process of confirming a “small number” of his “highly qualified” nominees.

“This demand is egregious and unprecedented, and would be embarrassing to the Republican Party if it were accepted. It is political extortion, by any other name. Tell Schumer, who is under tremendous political pressure from within his own party, the Radical Left Lunatics, to GO TO HELL!” Trump exclaimed.

Trump also gave his blessing to Senate Republicans to begin the August recess, a change in tune by the president who had been pressing Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to stay in Washington, D.C., and keep confirming his nominees in the face of delay tactics.

“Do not accept the offer, go home and explain to your constituents what bad people the Democrats are, and what a great job the Republicans are doing, and have done, for our Country,” the president added. “Have a great RECESS and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

The Democrats had sought to unfreeze more than $1 billion in money for the National Institutes of Health and foreign aid, as well as a pledge for no more rescissions packages to claw back funds that have already been allocated by Congress, according to Fox News.

“Let me clear what happened: Donald Trump attempted to steamroll the Senate to put in place his historically unqualified nominees. But Senate Democrats wouldn’t let him,” Schumer declared in a post on X.

Senators agreed to have pro forma sessions every few days during the August recess, preventing any recess appointments, and not return for votes until September 2. The House, which is also controlled by Republicans, already broke off for the summer.

The Senate did confirm a number of Trump’s nominees before leaving town, including a vote to keep Jeanine Pirro as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, and passed some fiscal 2026 appropriations bills ahead of the September 30 deadline.

“Very proud of our great Republican Senators for fighting, over the Weekend and far beyond, if necessary, in order to get my great Appointments approved, and on their way to helping us MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump said in another post on Truth Social.

He further exclaimed that “Radical Left Democrat Senators are doing everything possible to DELAY these wonderful and talented people from being approved,” and stated, “Thank you to Senator John Thune and our Republican Warriors in the Senate.”