Recent revelations from newly declassified documents seem to contradict prior statements made by officials from the Obama administration regarding Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. President Trump’s intelligence officer has released these documents, which include findings from the Intelligence Report concerning the election. This evidence appears to challenge claims made by former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Director James Comey, and former DNI James Clapper, both in interviews and before Congress.

In February 2018, Brennan stated on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the Steele dossier had “played no role” in assessing intelligence regarding the election. However, the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) indicated that Russian President Vladimir Putin intervened with a clear preference for Trump. Reports suggest that Brennan may have influenced the ICA to incorporate details from the Steele dossier, which was compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele for Fusion GPS. Many in legacy media have questioned the credibility of these documents.

There are notable discrepancies in testimony as well. Comey, during his 2017 testimony, claimed that significant technical resources had been committed by the Russians in their efforts to interfere in the election, asserting that the intelligence community held high confidence in this assessment. He emphasized that the evidence pointed firmly to Russian involvement. Nonetheless, a recently declassified file from DNI Tulsi Gabbard seems to contradict this assertion, pointing to a low-confidence rating from the FBI and NSA regarding Russian involvement as early as September 2016.

This file states that while there might be some alignment in what was expected of Russian activities, the technical specifics did not substantiate the claims. Furthermore, the accompanying evidence cited in this declassified report indicates that the Russian government directed attacks against the Democratic National Committee and other political entities.

Additionally, Clapper remarked on CNN in 2018 about Russia’s intentions to harm Clinton while supporting Trump. However, the latest intelligence report released by Gabbard shows potential suppression of evidence, suggesting a more complex picture regarding Putin’s preferences during the election.

The report claims that Russian intelligence was aware of claims about Clinton’s health but chose not to publicize this information. It seems to argue that the notion of Putin preferring Trump was not firmly established according to the Intelligence Community’s standards. The 2017 ICA concluded that Russia aimed to undermine Clinton’s candidacy yet asserted with confidence that they wanted to bolster Trump’s campaign.

Essentially, the findings from Trump’s intelligence office point out that the sources previously relied upon to claim Putin’s preference for Trump were unsatisfactory, vague, and unverified. Yet, Brennan, Comey, and Clapper have not made immediate comments regarding these developments.