CIA Director Refers Misconduct Allegations to FBI

John Brennan testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee

John Brennan testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, John Brennan and Mike Rogers applaud Director Clapper, Trey Gowdy attending criminal trial for President Trump, John Brennan greets John Kelly, James Comey testifying before the Senate, Senator Mark Warner introducing John Brennan, Former FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Ratcliffe attends the State of the Union

Former CIA Director John Brennan and FBI Director James Comey have been investigated for potential perjury regarding the Steele Dossier’s role in a 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). Recent CIA documents have suggested they may have misrepresented the dossier’s influence on the ICA, which concluded that Vladimir Putin interfered in the 2016 election to support President Donald Trump. Evidence has revealed inconsistencies between their past public statements and internal records.

John Brennan and Mike Rogers applaud Director Clapper

John Brennan testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, John Brennan and Mike Rogers applaud Director Clapper, Trey Gowdy attending criminal trial for President Trump, John Brennan greets John Kelly, James Comey testifying before the Senate, Senator Mark Warner introducing John Brennan, Former FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Ratcliffe attends the State of the Union

Brennan testified that the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), which concluded Putin interfered in the 2016 election with a “clear preference” for Trump, was not based on the Steele dossier. He stated, “The CIA was very much opposed to having any reference or inclusion of the Steele dossier in the Intelligence Community Assessment.”

Trey Gowdy attending criminal trial for President Trump

John Brennan testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, John Brennan and Mike Rogers applaud Director Clapper, Trey Gowdy attending criminal trial for President Trump, John Brennan greets John Kelly, James Comey testifying before the Senate, Senator Mark Warner introducing John Brennan, Former FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Ratcliffe attends the State of the Union

Rep. Trey Gowdy asked Brennan if the Bureau or CIA relied on the Steele dossier in court filings or intelligence assessments. Brennan said, “I have no awareness,” adding, “It was not part of the corpus of intelligence information that we had.”

John Brennan greets John Kelly

John Brennan testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, John Brennan and Mike Rogers applaud Director Clapper, Trey Gowdy attending criminal trial for President Trump, John Brennan greets John Kelly, James Comey testifying before the Senate, Senator Mark Warner introducing John Brennan, Former FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Ratcliffe attends the State of the Union

Brennan and Comey asserted that the ICA has excluded the Steele Dossier, but a recent CIA review has disputed this. It has found that senior officials have doubted the dossier’s validity and have warned that its inclusion could harm credibility.

James Comey testifying before the Senate

John Brennan testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, John Brennan and Mike Rogers applaud Director Clapper, Trey Gowdy attending criminal trial for President Trump, John Brennan greets John Kelly, James Comey testifying before the Senate, Senator Mark Warner introducing John Brennan, Former FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Ratcliffe attends the State of the Union

Comey said, “It was significant enough and consistent enough with other intelligence that it ought to be included, but it wasn’t sufficiently corroborated to be in the body of the Intelligence Community Assessment.”

Senator Mark Warner introducing John Brennan

John Brennan testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, John Brennan and Mike Rogers applaud Director Clapper, Trey Gowdy attending criminal trial for President Trump, John Brennan greets John Kelly, James Comey testifying before the Senate, Senator Mark Warner introducing John Brennan, Former FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Ratcliffe attends the State of the Union

An internal CIA review found Brennan insisted on including the dossier despite pushback from two of the agency’s top Russia experts. The CIA’s Tradecraft Review noted concerns about the rushed timeline to publish versions of the ICA before the presidential transition and has suggested a potential political motive behind the tasking and timeline.

Former FBI Director James Comey

John Brennan testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, John Brennan and Mike Rogers applaud Director Clapper, Trey Gowdy attending criminal trial for President Trump, John Brennan greets John Kelly, James Comey testifying before the Senate, Senator Mark Warner introducing John Brennan, Former FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Ratcliffe attends the State of the Union

The dossier’s ties to the Democratic National Committee have complicated defenses by Brennan and Comey. Although initially cited as a supplement in the ICA draft, references appeared in the main text.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe attends the State of the Union

John Brennan testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, John Brennan and Mike Rogers applaud Director Clapper, Trey Gowdy attending criminal trial for President Trump, John Brennan greets John Kelly, James Comey testifying before the Senate, Senator Mark Warner introducing John Brennan, Former FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Ratcliffe attends the State of the Union

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has referred evidence of alleged misconduct by Brennan and Comey to the FBI amid ongoing investigations. Both now face scrutiny over their handling of the dossier and its role in assessing Russian interference.

Roger Anderson covers U.S. politics & news for content partner Modern Newsstand LLC.

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