The former leaders of both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency are being put under investigation by the Department of Justice for potential wrongdoings in the Trump-Russia probe during the Obama administration.
Fox News exclusively published the news of the FBI investigation on Tuesday night, reporting that Former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey are being probed due to a referral by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, which alleged “evidence of wrongdoing” by both men. Last week, Ratcliffe declassified a “lessons learned” review of the creation of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment, and the “multiple procedural anomalies that occurred in its creation.
The specific allegations are still unclear, and neither side has issued a public statement, as the DOJ has indicated it will not comment on ongoing investigations, according to NBC News.
But much of the focus in the review is on the FBI’s handling of some elements, especially the use of the Steele dossier, which contained unverified allegations about Trump.
The recent investigations originated from the 2016 Trump-Russia collusion inquiry, which was conducted by the leadership of both the CIA and the FBI. They assessed that Russia was colluding to help President Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election over Hillary Clinton in his first run for office.
According to Ratcliffe’s review, Brennan was informed by top CIA experts that including the dossier — which was produced by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele and funded by the Clinton campaign — in the ICA would risk “the credibility of the entire paper. ... Despite these objections, Brennan showed a preference for narrative consistency over analytical soundness.”
“Brennan ultimately formalized his position in writing, stating that ‘my bottomline is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report,’” the review added.
However, Brennan made contradictory statements before Congress in 2018, as reported by Fox News.
“The CIA was very much opposed to having any reference or inclusion of the Steele dossier in the Intelligence Community Assessment,” Brennan testified before the House committee. “And so they sent over a copy of the dossier to say that this was going to be separate from the rest of that assessment.”
Steele’s dossier was ultimately not put in the body of the ICA for former President Barack Obama, but it was largely mentioned in a footnote of the document, Fox News added.
Following the breaking news of the DOJ investigation, Trump told reporters in a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that he had no prior knowledge until he read about it in the news.
When asked if he would like to see Comey and Brennan imprisoned, he said, “I think they’re very dishonest people and I think they’re crooked. ... and maybe they have to pay a price for that. I believe they are truly bad people.”
“So whatever happens, happens,” Trump said.