Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reportedly turned down requests from Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officials regarding the release of a document from July related to the “Russiagate” investigation.
According to reports, CIA officials expressed concern about a version of a House report on the 2016 election, which had been prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). They suggested that a more edited version should be submitted for President Donald Trump’s approval.
The document in question refers to a 2020 review conducted by the House Intelligence Report Committee (HPSCI) on the “Russian Impact Campaign for the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.” It concluded that the senior intelligence agencies suppressed information that could have challenged the narrative suggesting that Russia favored Trump over Hillary Clinton.
Intelligence officials have made these claims, and previous leaks indicated issues with the validity of evidence supporting Putin’s alleged preference for Trump. There are said to be unidentified fragments from reports that cannot be confirmed.
The report includes comments from “Democrats” and “former Democrat officials,” but it mainly cited “multiple sources familiar with the issue” which is a common approach in such articles.
Reportedly, the sources referenced were individuals knowledgeable about the report’s release and involved U.S. officials, although they remained anonymous due to the delicate nature of the topic.
One source pointed out that Gabbard had encouraged the publication of as many documents as possible, and that the CIA had proposed edits to the report before its release.
Sources also suggest that Gabbard has broader authority for declassification compared to other agencies and, according to reports, she doesn’t need prior approval for releases. Trump had signed off on a version of the report that underwent minimal editing.
While the CIA refrained from commenting on potential actions against the alleged leaker, the ODNI has previously alerted the Department of Justice about possible leaks.
Liz Lyons, CIA’s Director of Public Affairs, conveyed that Director John Ratcliffe supports releasing the HPSCI report, acknowledging that this action was a commitment to transparency, facilitated through Gabbard’s direction.
In a recent tweet, Gabbard indicated that new evidence regarding intelligence gathering during the Obama administration is surfacing.
Another document released by Gabbard addressed early investigations into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections, revealing previously undisclosed intelligence assessments. Some sources suggest that the CIA had conclusions indicating Russia’s intent to assist Trump.
Notably, the Washington Post and The New York Times won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for their stories on allegations of Russian election interference. However, figures like Trump and FBI director Kash Patel have criticized the awards, claiming that they misrepresented the facts surrounding the investigation.
In light of these ongoing discussions, Trump mentioned considering additional releases of FBI documents to clarify the situation, emphasizing his stance against what he calls “fake news.”
