Former Intelligence Director Stands by Claims of Russian Interference

James Clapper, who previously served as the director of national intelligence, has reaffirmed his belief that Russia intervened to assist President Trump in the 2016 presidential election. This comes despite some concerns from the leading intelligence agency, highlighted by top secret emails.

Clapper described the Obama administration’s attempts to reform intelligence assessments regarding “interference in the Russian election” as akin to “team sports.” Tulsi Gabbard recently revealed that such changes may require the Intelligence Community (IC) to compromise its standards.

Former National Security Director Mike Rogers has voiced worries about the haste with which his team is being urged to finalize the report. He cautioned that the limited access to key intelligence could misrepresent “the intentions concerning the joint products and DNC/DCCC hacks related to Russian attribution.” An email dated December 22, 2016, detailed communication between intelligence officials, including Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former FBI Director James Comey.

Rogers mentioned in an email that although there is a push for rapid progression in report drafting, he felt compelled to communicate concerns based on insights from his team. “Specifically, I asked the team if they had enough access to the underlying intelligence and had enough time to review that intelligence. At both points, my team raised concerns,” he stated.

“They are worried that the fast-paced nature of this process might prevent them from entirely confirming their assessment,” Rogers noted. He clarified, however, that he didn’t strongly disagree with the report’s conclusions.

Furthermore, Rogers stated that he wants to be entirely confident before presenting to the president. “There’s one chance to make this right, and it’s important to do so,” he emphasized. Yet, he admitted, “I’m worried that we’re not there yet.”

Rogers asserted he would address these issues from the perspective of maintaining his agency’s integrity before signing off on the report, needing to examine even the most sensitive evidence. Clapper responded, urging the NSA to align with his brief response to Rogers, remarking, “Understand your concerns. It’s essential that we (CIA/NSA/FBI/ODNI) be on the same page.”

Clapper stressed that they all support the report, calling it “our story.” However, he acknowledged the need to work within tight timelines, arguing, “We may have to compromise on the ‘regular’ modality…” He insisted the project required a collaborative approach.

This exchange occurred shortly after December 9, 2016, when former President Barack Obama met with Clapper and Brennan, where they discussed a report detailing “the tools Moscow used and the actions taken to influence the 2016 election.”

Notably, an earlier assessment from the Intelligence Community, which was rejected by Obama, stated that “Russia and criminals did not affect recent US election outcomes by conducting malicious cyber-activities against election infrastructure.”

The NSA, along with the CIA and FBI, will continue to validate new reports. Gabbard, who has been vocal against the proponents of the Trump-Russian conspiracy theory, claimed that Clapper’s email supports her findings, alleging that it demonstrates a compromised intelligence process.

She remarked, “[T]he standards were compromised in the creation of a 2017 manufactured intelligence assessment and violated protocol, which was intentional and came from the top.” Gabbard concluded that Clapper’s admissions confirm the notion of intelligence operations being treated as “team sports.”