Clapper Pushed NSA Chief To Sign On To Erroneous Intel Report

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper pressured a fellow intelligence community chief to endorse a disputed intelligence assessment claiming that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to aid Donald Trump, according to declassified documents released on Wednesday.

The documents, published by DNI Tulsi Gabbard, reveal communications from December 22, 2016, that illustrate how former President Obama and his intelligence chiefs allegedly manipulated a 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) to support the narrative of Trump-Russia collusion. Previous disclosures by Gabbard indicated that the ICA’s assertion that Russia’s interference was intended to benefit Trump was based on weak and unverified intelligence, a fact acknowledged by senior officials, including then-CIA Director John Brennan.

The newly released emails document an exchange between Clapper and then-National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers regarding the ICA and its questionable intelligence basis. In a message to Clapper, Brennan, and then-FBI Director James Comey, Rogers expressed concerns about the rushed completion of the report and the adequacy of the underlying intelligence.

Rogers noted that his team felt they had not been given sufficient time to review the intelligence thoroughly. “I asked my team if they’d had sufficient access to the underlying intelligence and sufficient time to review that intelligence. On both points my team raised concerns,” he wrote. He emphasized the importance of being able to confidently support the report in the future.

Clapper responded later that day, acknowledging Rogers’ concerns but stressing the need for unity among the agencies involved. He stated, “It is essential we (CIA/NSA/FBI/ODNI) be on the same page, and are all supportive of the report — in the highest tradition of ‘that’s OUR story, and we’re stickin’ to it.’” Clapper indicated that while transparency would be facilitated, the timeline for completion was non-negotiable.

The ICA concluded that all three agencies agreed with the assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed to assist Trump’s election chances, although the NSA expressed only moderate confidence in this judgment compared to the CIA and FBI’s high confidence.

These emails are part of a broader release of documents that have raised questions about the Obama administration’s handling of intelligence related to the Trump campaign. Earlier this week, additional documents included testimony from a former Democrat staffer alleging that then-House Intelligence Committee ranking member Adam Schiff leaked classified information to the media to undermine Trump.

Shawn Fleetwood, a staff writer for The Federalist, reported on these developments, highlighting the ongoing scrutiny of the intelligence community’s actions during the 2016 election cycle.