Attorney General Launches Investigation into Russian Influence Findings

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Pam Bondy announced a “Strike Force” late Wednesday to investigate newly declassified findings from the Intelligence Agency concerning Russian interference in the 2016 election, as revealed by the Obama administration.

This initiative will include a review of evidence collected by the Department of Justice regarding Tulsi Gabbard’s claims of “substandard” information, particularly focusing on “manufactured” data related to the controversial documents authored by MI6 Spy Christopher Steele.

Bondy expressed appreciation for Gabbard’s collaboration, stating, “The Department of Justice is proud to work with Superintendent Gabbard…for being accountable to Americans.”

“We are committed to thoroughly investigating these troubling disclosures and ensuring that no stone is left unturned in our pursuit of justice.”

Earlier this month, the FBI initiated an investigation into former CIA director John Brennan and former FBI director James Comey concerning possible criminal actions during the Trump-Russia inquiry.

CIA director John Ratcliffe previously provided additional evidence to the DOJ regarding Brennan’s shortcomings, corroborating lapses in the intelligence assessments originally ordered by former President Barack Obama during a December 2016 meeting.

On Wednesday, Gabbard released a detailed, 44-page report from the House Intelligence Election Committee, which highlighted significant errors in Brennan’s assessments, particularly regarding Russia’s supposed support for Trump’s victory over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

The report was spearheaded by former House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes and completed in September 2020. It noted that Brennan disregarded warnings from seasoned CIA agents, claiming that the fragments and unverified information presented could not substantiate the assertion that Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed to assist Trump.

In contrast, Brennan and Comey promoted Steele’s documents, funded by the Democratic National Committee and Clinton’s campaign, during the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) concerning Kremlin actions during the election.

The report also indicated that findings excluded from the ICA contradicted the narrative that Putin desired a Trump victory, revealing that the Russian leader anticipated a Clinton win.

“Putin’s primary goal was to erode trust in the U.S. democratic process and undermine what they saw as an inevitable Clinton presidency,” the document stated.

Moreover, the Russian foreign intelligence agency, SVR, reportedly had DNC communications suggesting Clinton exhibited “psycho-emotional issues,” but these did not make it into public disclosure.

Clinton, it was indicated, was under stress and heavily medicated, which possibly impacted her campaign. There were also discussions about how her team aimed to link Putin and Russian hackers to political adversaries as part of email strategies originating from the Clinton Email Server saga.

Trump reacted strongly, stating, “It’s a criminal at the highest level” in response to the findings during an Oval Office meeting.

The 2017 ICA has been a source of controversy, with accusations suggesting it falsely linked Trump’s campaign to Russian collusion.

“It wasn’t just CIA director Brennan, FBI director Comey, and DNI Clapper… they disregarded warnings that the information was manufactured,” Gabbard noted.

She further commented that these actions contributed to undermining the American people’s trust, collaborating with media outlets to spread falsehoods, and essentially attempting a coup against Trump.

The Senate Intelligence Committee had previously released a report endorsed by all members, containing bipartisan findings asserted to validate Trump’s campaign during the 2016 election.

Senator Mark Warner dismissed Gabbard’s findings, stating there was nothing in the document that would alter prior conclusions. He criticized the motivations behind its release as being politically driven.

Warner emphasized that disseminating such so-called reports poses risks to classified information and undermines the integrity of intelligence services.

Overall, the situation remains complicated, with ongoing investigations indicating there are still many facets yet to be fully understood.