A bipartisan investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee has validated the January 2017 U.S. intelligence assessment describing Russia interference in the 2016 presidential election — including Russian efforts to help Donald Trump — describing it as accurate, thorough, and in keeping with long-established practices.
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“The Committee found no reason to dispute the Intelligence Community’s conclusions,” said Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C.
The CIA and other spy agencies produced the assessment during the final weeks of the Obama administration, and a version of it was made public on Jan. 6, 2017. It told a story of a Russian covert operation designed to undermine American democracy that evolved into an attempt to help Trump win.
The new report by the Republican-run committee — which examines how the assessment was put together — undercuts long-standing criticisms by some of President Trump’s supporters that the assessment overstated Russia’s activities. A long-running theory on the right holds that the assessment was “rigged” by a cabal of hand-picked intelligence analysts led by then-CIA Director John Brennan, who has become a vocal Trump critic.
The Senate report found no evidence of that. It comes as a prosecutor appointed by Attorney General William Barr is said to be examining Brennan’s role in the assessment, which was written based on intelligence gathered by the CIA, the FBI and the National Security Agency, among others.
The assessment of Russian interference “was a comprehensive all-source detailed assessment written by the top-notch analysts in the intelligence community,” said Marc Polymeropoulos, a retired CIA case officer who played a role in the intelligence gathering. “It was a top-notch document that revealed the true Russian efforts to subvert American democracy. There is no dispute that Russia interfered in our elections. None.”
In “Key Judgments,” the 2017 analysis says, “We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election. Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary (Hillary) Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.”
Julie Tsirkin contributed.