The FBI has launched investigations into former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan. The probes pertain to the Trump-Russia investigation and alleged false statements to Congress.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe passed the criminal referrals to the FBI, sources familiar with the investigation told Fox News. Sources described Brennan’s and Comey’s actions as a “conspiracy.”
Ratcliffe recently released a review of the intelligence community’s analysis of Russian influence during the 2016 election, condemning Brennan for opening a “very politicized inquiry” against the agency’s standards.
According to the review, the decision by CIA heads to “include the Steele Dossier in the ICA ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment.”
“The ICA authors first learned of the Dossier, and FBI leadership’s insistence on its inclusion, on 20 December—the same day the largely coordinated draft was entering the review process at CIA,” the review states. Several CIA managers opposed the Dossier’s inclusion, arguing that incorporating it risked the paper’s credibility.
“Despite these objections, Brennan showed a preference for narrative consistency over analytical soundness,” the review criticized. “When confronted with specific flaws in the Dossier by the two mission center leaders—one with extensive operational experience and the other with a strong analytic background—he appeared more swayed by the Dossier’s general conformity with existing theories than by legitimate tradecraft concerns.”
Comey was also the subject of controversy following a “86 47” social media post. The number “86” is often associated with elimination or removal, while “47” was believed to be a reference to President Donald Trump.
