Revelations on CIA and FBI Leadership’s Claims About Steele Dossier

Recent releases from a CIA memo suggest that former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey may have misrepresented their positions regarding the reliability of the Steele dossier in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). This assessment concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin interfered in the 2016 election, favoring Donald Trump.

According to the CIA’s June review, new evidence seems to contradict claims made by Brennan and Comey regarding the ICA. The review, commissioned by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, indicates that Brennan had pushed for the inclusion of materials connected to Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer whose documents were compiled under dubious circumstances.

Steele’s documents have been deemed unreliable by many, including some mainstream media outlets like The New York Times. An email from the CIA’s Associate Director of Analytics noted concerns about including such contentious material in the evaluation.

This evidence may call into question Brennan’s earlier testimonies, potentially putting him at risk for perjury charges. During a House Judiciary Committee session, he stated that the CIA did not rely on the Steele dossier for its assessments — a claim that now appears undermined by the new findings.

When questioned about whether the CIA had used the dossier in any legal applications, Brennan denied any such reliance, asserting, “It wasn’t part of the intelligence information we had.” However, it seems the documents were referenced in the ICA, raising discrepancies in his previous statements.

Other officials from the Obama administration echoed similar sentiments, asserting that the information in Steele’s documents was not relied upon for conclusions made by the Intelligence Community. The focus had shifted to the idea that while concerns about the Steele dossier’s reliability were noted, elements of it found their way into the ICA.

This aftermath has led to backlash against both Brennan and Comey, with some former intelligence officers calling for accountability. The discussions swirling around them only seem to grow more complex, as ongoing federal investigations look into their actions during their tenures.

The charges of dishonesty resonate deeply within discussions about how the intelligence community operates and the stakes involved in political matters.