CIA Memo: Obama Team 'Excessively Involved' In Fueling Trump-Russia Narrative

A newly declassified CIA memo reveals that top Obama administration officials, including CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey, and DNI James Clapper, manipulated intelligence to exaggerate Russia's 2016 election interference. This manipulation set the stage for the years-long Trump-Russia collusion probe. The review, commissioned by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, reassessed the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian interference and found that the officials were "excessively involved" in framing the initial Russia narrative. The review concluded that the officials rushed the 2016 assessment in a "chaotic," "atypical," and "markedly unconventional" fashion, raising questions about a "potential political motive." Intelligence officials felt "jammed" by the rushed timeline, and many saw the draft report for the first time at the sole in-person review on December 19. The review found that few changes were made to the lengthy and high-profile assessment, which ultimately cast doubt on Trump's legitimacy and opened the door to the Mueller investigation and partisan congressional hearings. CIA Director John Ratcliffe thanked the career CIA officers who conducted the review, stating that the truth about the manipulation is now clear. The review confirms what was already widely known in conservative and Republican circles: Brennan, Comey, and Clapper were the political architects of the Trump-Russia hoax. The declassified memo was broken by New York Post columnist Miranda Devine, revealing the review's damning conclusions. The manipulation of intelligence by top Obama administration officials has significant implications for the Trump-Russia collusion probe and its aftermath.