A newly declassified CIA review has concluded that the 2016 U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia sought to help then-candidate Donald Trump win the presidential election was influenced by political pressures, rushed timelines, and the inclusion of discredited information.
Nonetheless, the assessment was “deemed defensible” by the review team.
Released on July 2 by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, the review details significant departures from standard analytic procedures in compiling the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russian election interference, a declassified version of which was publicly released in January 2017.
Ratcliffe’s newly released review found “multiple procedural anomalies” in the ICA’s preparation.
It accuses former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Director James Comey, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper of exerting “excessive involvement” in the drafting process in a manner that career analysts described as “chaotic,” “unconventional,” and with “a potential political motive.”…
Tradecraft Failures, Leadership Pressure Prominent in 2016 Russia-Trump Intel Assessment: CIA Report
