WASHINGTON – Officials from the Trump administration criticized skeptics following the release of an intelligence report that supposedly outlines a plan by Hillary Clinton’s campaign to tie Donald Trump to Russia. This has been suggested as a product of disinformation from Moscow.
I mean, really, are we actually going down this path? That’s what I thought when I saw a tweet from Alexa Henning, deputy chief of staff to the National Intelligence Director. The intelligence shared on Thursday was labeled as likely being part of Russian espionage efforts.
Henning raised the question on Twitter, stating that the so-called Russian hoax was created by Clinton and others, including prominent figures like Barack Obama and James Comey. Her tweets referenced pieces in The New York Times that echoed similar claims made nearly a decade ago.
Interestingly, the recently released Durham report and the House Intelligence Committee have stated multiple times that Clinton’s emails were validated by the CIA.
The CIA director, John Ratcliffe, along with Attorney General Pam Bondi, declassified a 24-page appendix to Durham’s 2023 special advisor report on Thursday. This document showed a concerted effort by Clinton’s team and Obama’s administration to promote the idea that Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 election.
Ratcliffe has gone so far as to reveal that there were plans to undermine Trump’s presidency.
A CIA spokesperson, Liz Lyons, commented that Clinton’s campaign actively sought to place narratives about Trump’s alleged connections to Russia in the media, and this was done with her direct approval.
According to a report from The Times, the evidence suggesting that Clinton approved a plan linking Trump to Russia is considered unreliable. Durham noted that emails dating back to July 27, 2016, were likely fabricated.
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released the 24-page annex from Durham’s findings, although the contents weren’t initially revealed.
Back in 2017, the CIA looked into information concerning the alleged Clinton campaign, which included communications stemming from the Open Society Foundation, connected to George Soros.
Brennan reportedly drafted a memo for President Obama, and Joe Biden, who was then chairman, was involved too. An email from Leonard Benardo of the Open Society suggested linking Trump and Russian hackers with potential disruptions to U.S. elections, which the FBI viewed as likely authentic.
In July, Benardo noted in an email that a long-term strategy was needed to vilify both Putin and Trump. He described how Clinton had approved certain ideas about Russian interference in the U.S. elections.
Lyons suggested that after the recent declassification, the Russian intelligence agency had accurately predicted the FBI’s actions and their connections with Clinton’s allies.
An FBI analyst stated during his interview with Durham’s team that, given the sensitive nature of the intelligence involved, it was probable that Benardo’s email was genuine. However, some analysts indicated that there was a chance it could have been manipulated by Russian sources.
Yet, it’s notable that Comey’s FBI never thoroughly vetted these claims, dismissing their reliability.
Comey later testified to Congress about deciding to close an investigation into Clinton’s handling of over 30,000 emails from private servers in July 2016.
In 2020, the National Intelligence Director informed Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that they couldn’t ascertain the accuracy of the file.
Durham’s assessment was that the email purporting to be from Benardo was a mix of several communications sourced from Russian intelligence and U.S.-based think tanks, including contributions from the Open Society Foundation.
According to Durham’s report, this file was, in essence, a blend of truths that made it difficult to entirely discount its validity.
Benardo told the Durham team that he hadn’t written the emails based on the best of his memory.
A representative from the Open Society Foundations responded by stating that they are a nonpartisan organization and do not engage in political campaigning, labeling the accusations as dangerous.
Jake Sullivan, who would later become Biden’s national security adviser, mentioned to Durham’s team that he couldn’t completely eliminate the possibility that Clinton’s plan was aimed at spreading allegations about Russian collusion with Trump’s campaign.
Julian Smith, a former foreign policy adviser to Clinton, stated that he didn’t recall any specific drafts or ideas but noted that there might have been suggestions to divert attention from Clinton’s email issues.
Tarshi Gabbard, the National Intelligence Director, claimed that the Obama administration aimed to undermine the 2016 election, effectively executing a coup against the will of the American people.
Communications unearthed by Durham revealed that Smith was in touch with other foreign policy advisors about potentially having the FBI initiate investigations into the DNC Hack.
Despite not rebutting claims of such a plan, Clinton’s office described it as “Russian misinformation.”
FBI Director Kash Patel revealed that intelligence files were found interspersed among various other documents, including what has been described as “burn bags,” confirming that these contained proof of the Clinton campaign’s alleged attempts to frame Trump and concoct a Russian conspiracy.
Grassley asserted that it appeared as if there were attempts to cover up damaging information, labeling it pretty serious during his appearance on Newsmax.
He emphasized that some documents, emails, and thumb drives were located in garbage bags, which the FBI discovered, underscoring the depth of potential misconduct in Washington.
