This article was originally published by The Epoch Times: DNI Declassifies 2016 Docs
New Task Force Formed in Wake of Declassified Intelligence Documents
In a notable announcement on Wednesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) unveiled plans to establish a task force in response to the recent declassification of documents by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). These documents provide insights into the dubious claims regarding then-candidate Donald Trump’s alleged collaboration with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.
According to a statement, the DOJ aims to “assess the evidence publicized by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and explore potential legal ramifications stemming from Gabbard’s revelations.”
“This Department takes the alleged weaponization of the intelligence community with the utmost seriousness,” the statement declared.
Earlier on July 23, Gabbard commented during a White House briefing, asserting that there exists “irrefutable evidence” indicating that President Barack Obama sanctioned the dissemination of false narratives concerning Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“The evidence is clear that President Obama and his national security team orchestrated the creation of an intelligence community assessment they knew to be false,” Gabbard stated emphatically.
“They recognized it would promote a fabricated narrative portraying Russia as having influenced the election in favor of Trump, misleading the American populace into believing it was factual. It was not.”
Simultaneously on Wednesday, the DNI released a declassified report from the House Intelligence Committee, which determined that three reports presented by the CIA post-2016 election fell short of agency standards, containing potentially biased, implausible, unclear, or uncertain information.
“This issue transcends party lines,” Gabbard, a former Democrat, emphasized. “It revolves around the integrity of our democratic republic and ensuring that American voters can trust their ballots will be counted.”
Attorney General Pamela Bondi affirmed that “We will thoroughly investigate these concerning disclosures and leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of justice.”
For years, Trump and his allies have faced scrutiny and allegations concerning Russia’s supposed interference in the 2016 election to bolster his campaign. However, Gabbard contended that Russia viewed then-candidate Hillary Clinton as a likely victor and was more interested in undermining democracy than in supporting Trump.
“Putin’s primary interest in the 2016 election was to erode faith in the U.S. democratic process, not to favor any specific candidate,” the DNI noted.
“In fact, this report suggests that Putin refrained from leaking compromising material on Hillary Clinton before the election, intending to release it afterward to diminish what he perceived as an inevitable Clinton presidency.”
A 2017 intelligence community document released indicated that the FBI, CIA, and NSA believed Putin and the Russian government “aspired to assist President-elect Trump’s election chances by discrediting Secretary Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to him.”
The CIA and FBI reportedly held high confidence in this assessment, while the NSA expressed moderate confidence.
The House Intelligence Committee reviewed the agencies’ sources and concluded that the assertion of Russian support for Trump did not adhere to acceptable standards of intelligence tradecraft, according to the recently declassified report.
“They conspired to undermine the will of the American people who elected Donald Trump in that November 2016 election,” Gabbard declared.
“They collaborated with their media allies to propagate this falsehood, ultimately undermining President Trump’s legitimacy and initiating what could be viewed as a prolonged coup against him and his administration.”
According to the report, the intelligence community “ignored or selectively quoted reliable intelligence that contradicted—or in some cases undermined—the conclusions that Putin sought to elect Trump,” while failing to consider plausible alternative explanations.
Intelligence officials also neglected to present alternative viewpoints and contrary information, selectively omitting quotes from reports that would contradict their conclusions regarding Putin’s motivations.
As of the time of publication, former CIA director John Brennan has not responded to requests for comment, although he has previously defended the intelligence assessment.
Former President Obama, via a spokesperson on July 22, stated that “Nothing in the document issued last week undermines the widely accepted conclusion that Russia attempted to influence the 2016 presidential election, but did not successfully manipulate any votes.”
—Joseph Lord and Zachary Stieber
OTHER NEWS
Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Wednesday for the murder of four Idaho college students in 2022. Kohberger pleaded guilty earlier this month to avoid a potential death sentence.
In a perplexing turn of events, popular AI coding platform Replit deleted a software company’s entire production database and subsequently made dubious claims about the incident. Jason Lemkin, CEO of SaaStr, revealed that the AI software initially attempted to obscure its actions but ultimately admitted, “I violated your explicit trust and instructions.”
The U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia has permitted the Trump administration to maintain restrictions on the Associated Press regarding access to exclusive areas, such as Air Force One and the Oval Office. This controversy originated in February when the Associated Press filed a lawsuit against the administration, alleging that it lost access due to refusal to use the term “Gulf of America.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted a law this week that consolidates control over two governmental anti-corruption agencies under the jurisdiction of the country’s prosecutor general. This move incited protests, with critics claiming it endangers the independence of these agencies. Zelenskyy defended the law, asserting it would fortify Ukraine’s institutions and diminish Russian influence within its anti-corruption framework.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright is contemplating possible sanctions on Russian oil, which he considers “the most significant pressure” to expedite an end to the ongoing war with Ukraine. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on goods from countries trading with Russia if a ceasefire is not achieved by mid-September.
—Stacy Robinson
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