Recently released documents that were previously classified indicate that key information was left out of briefings that contradicted then-President Donald Trump’s claims regarding Russian interference in the election. During the 2016 election cycle, a report from the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) made it clear that “foreign adversaries did not conduct cyberattacks on election infrastructure.”
Files released by ODNI suggest that, just days after Trump’s electoral victory, this information directly contradicted media reports and the assertions from intelligence agencies about Russian interference. Following Trump’s win, a Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB) was drafted by the Intelligence Community on December 7 to analyze the effects of cyber-hacking on the election outcome. However, this briefing was reportedly “scrapped” by senior officials who referred to “new guidance,” as stated by ODNI.
Journalist Matt Taibbi highlighted how the situation shifted when evidence indicating a lack of significant foreign influence in the 2016 election was ignored. He noted that Trump would have had access to this PDB and would have seen the insights from the Intelligence Community. According to ODNI’s findings, it was clear that “Russia and its operatives had no impact” on the election results.
In a conversation with Taibbi, former national security adviser Michael Flynn mentioned he was reviewing the PDB at that time, suggesting he was aware of the content. Flynn implied that the sudden halt of the PDB may have been influenced by his reading of it.
The ODNI memo stated that “there is no evidence of cyber operations targeting election infrastructure intended to alter results.” Instead of using the PDB, a meeting of the National Security Council Principal Committee was held on December 9. This gathering featured communication regarding a “Potus Tasking on Intervention in the Russian Election,” which aimed at crafting an “assessment” as per the President’s instructions.
According to Friday’s report from ODNI, “deep state” elements within the intelligence community began leaking information to the press, suggesting that Russia had influenced the election outcome. These claims of interference have sparked extensive investigations, with Special Counsel Robert Mueller ultimately finding no evidence of conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia to affect the election results.
