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The discredited doc on the heart of the felony investigations into former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey was used to open the unique Trump–Russia probe in 2016 and used to transient then-President-elect Donald Trump, regardless of prime Obama-era intelligence officers understanding it was full of unverified “web rumor.”
The “Steele file,” because it’s referred to as, was authored by ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. It was funded by Hillary Clinton’s presidential marketing campaign and the Democratic Nationwide Committee (DNC) by means of the legislation agency Perkins Coie.
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After Trump’s 2016 victory and in the course of the presidential transition interval, Comey briefed Trump on the now-infamous anti-Trump file, containing salacious allegations of purported coordination between Trump and the Russian authorities. Brennan was current for that briefing, which happened at Trump Tower in New York Metropolis in January 2017.
Nevertheless, Brennan and Comey knew of intelligence suggesting Clinton, in the course of the marketing campaign, was stirring up a plan to tie Trump to Russia, paperwork declare. It’s unclear whether or not the intelligence group, on the time, knew that the file was paid for by Clinton and the DNC.
Former FBI Director James Comey, left, and former CIA Director John Brennan. (Mark Reinstein/Corbis by way of Getty Photos | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Photos)
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, when he served as director of nationwide intelligence below the primary Trump administration, declassified Brennan’s handwritten notes memorializing that assembly, which have been solely obtained by Fox Information Digital in October 2020.
On July 28, 2016, Brennan briefed then-President Barack Obama on a plan from certainly one of Clinton’s marketing campaign international coverage advisors “to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian safety service,” the notes stated.
Comey, then-Vice President Joe Biden, former Lawyer Normal Loretta Lynch and former Director of Nationwide Intelligence James Clapper have been on the Brennan–Obama briefing.
“We’re getting further perception into Russian actions from (REDACTED),” learn Brennan’s handwritten notes, solely obtained by Fox Information Digital in October 2020. “CITE (summarizing) alleged accepted by Hillary Clinton a proposal from certainly one of her international coverage advisers to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian safety service.”
After that briefing, the CIA correctly forwarded that info by means of a Counterintelligence Operational Lead (CIOL) to Comey and then-Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok, with the topic line: “Crossfire Hurricane.”
Fox Information Digital solely obtained and reported on the CIOL in October 2020, which said, “The next info is offered for the unique use of your bureau for background investigative motion or lead functions as acceptable.”
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“Per FBI verbal request, CIA offers the beneath examples of knowledge the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion cell has gleaned to this point,” the memo continued. “An trade (REDACTED) discussing US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s approval of a plan regarding US presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as a method of distracting the general public from her use of a non-public e-mail server.”
The FBI didn’t open an investigation into the matter, and as an alternative, continued with its counterintelligence investigation into whether or not candidate Trump and members of his marketing campaign have been colluding or coordinating with Russia to affect the 2016 marketing campaign. That investigation, which was opened July 31, 2016, was referred to contained in the bureau as “Crossfire Hurricane.”
Brennan and Comey at the moment are below felony investigation for potential wrongdoing associated to the Trump-Russia probe, together with allegedly making false statements to Congress, Justice Division sources informed Fox Information Digital.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred proof of alleged wrongdoing by former CIA Director John Brennan to FBI Director Kash Patel, pictured right here, for potential prosecution, DOJ sources informed Fox Information Digital. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photos)
Ratcliffe referred proof of alleged wrongdoing by Brennan to FBI Director Kash Patel for potential prosecution, DOJ sources informed Fox Information Digital.
The sources stated that the referral was obtained and informed Fox Information Digital {that a} felony investigation into Brennan was opened and is underway. DOJ sources declined to supply additional particulars. It’s unclear, at this level, if the investigation spans past his alleged false statements to Congress.
As for Comey, DOJ sources informed Fox Information Digital that an investigation into the previous director is underway however couldn’t share particulars of what particularly is being probed.
The total scope of the felony investigations into Brennan and Comey is unclear, however two sources described the FBI’s view of the duo’s interactions as a “conspiracy,” which might open up a variety of potential prosecutorial choices.
The Brennan investigation comes after Ratcliffe not too long ago declassified a “classes discovered” overview of the creation of the 2017 Intelligence Neighborhood Evaluation (ICA). The 2017 ICA alleged Russia sought to affect the 2016 presidential election to assist then-candidate Trump. Nevertheless, the overview discovered that the method of the ICA’s creation was rushed with “procedural anomalies,” and that officers had diverted from intelligence requirements.
It additionally decided that the “resolution by company heads to incorporate the Steele File within the ICA ran counter to basic tradecraft rules and in the end undermined the credibility of a key judgment.”
CIA Director John Ratcliffe sits along with his fingers folded within the State of affairs Room on June 21, 2025. (The White Home by way of X)
The overview marks the primary time profession CIA officers have acknowledged politicization of the method by which the ICA was written, notably by Obama-era political appointees. Information declassified as a part of that overview additional revealed that Brennan did, in reality, push for the file to be included within the 2017 ICA.
Brennan testified to the Home Judiciary Committee in Could 2023, nonetheless, that he didn’t consider the file ought to be included in that intelligence product.
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Ratcliffe was not stunned by the overview’s findings, a supply acquainted informed Fox Information Digital, given the director’s lengthy historical past of criticizing Brennan’s politicization of intelligence. Nevertheless, Ratcliffe was compelled to refer elements of Brennan’s involvement to the FBI for overview of attainable criminality, the supply stated.
The supply was unable to share the delicate particulars of Ratcliffe’s felony referral to the FBI with Fox Information Digital however stated that Brennan “violated the general public’s belief and ought to be held accountable for it.”
The false statements portion of the probe stems from a newly declassified e-mail despatched to Brennan by the previous deputy CIA director in December 2016. That message stated that together with the file within the ICA in any capability jeopardized “the credibility of the whole paper.”
“Regardless of these objections, Brennan confirmed a desire for narrative consistency over analytical soundness,” the brand new CIA overview states. “When confronted with particular flaws within the File by the 2 mission heart leaders – one with in depth operational expertise and the opposite with a powerful analytic background – he appeared extra swayed by the File’s basic conformity with current theories than by reliable tradecraft considerations.”
The overview added, “Brennan in the end formalized his place in writing, stating that ‘my bottomline is that I consider that the knowledge warrants inclusion within the report.’”
Nevertheless, Brennan testified the other in entrance of Congress in Could 2023.
“The CIA was very a lot against having any reference or inclusion of the Steele file within the Intelligence Neighborhood Evaluation,” Brennan testified earlier than the Home committee, in accordance with the transcript of his deposition reviewed by Fox Information Digital. “And they also despatched over a duplicate of the file to say that this was going to be separate from the remainder of that evaluation.”
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CIA officers on the time of its creation pushed again towards the FBI, which sought to incorporate the file, arguing that the file shouldn’t be included within the evaluation, and casting it as merely “web rumor.”
Finally, Steele’s reporting was not included within the physique of the ultimate ICA ready for then-President Obama, however as an alternative detailed on this footnote, “largely on the insistence of FBI’s senior management,” in accordance with a overview by the Justice Division inspector basic and later the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Christopher Steele is a former MI6 agent who arrange Orbis Enterprise Intelligence and compiled a file on Donald Trump. (Victoria Jones/PA Photos by way of Getty Photos )
Nevertheless, again in June 2020, Ratcliffe, whereas serving as director of nationwide intelligence, declassified a footnote from the 2017 ICA, which revealed that the reporting of Trump file writer Steele had solely “restricted corroboration” concerning whether or not then-President-elect Trump “knowingly labored with Russian officers to bolster his possibilities of beating” Clinton and different claims.
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The footnote, often known as “Annex A” of the 2017 ICA, solely obtained by Fox Information Digital in June 2020, spanned lower than two pages and detailed reporting by Steele. The footnote made clear the interior considerations officers had over that doc.
“An FBI supply (Steele) utilizing each recognized and unidentified subsources, volunteered extremely politically delicate info from the summer time to the autumn of 2016 on Russian affect efforts aimed on the US presidential election,” the annex learn. “We’ve got solely restricted corroboration of the supply’s reporting on this case and didn’t use it to succeed in the analytic conclusions of the CIA/FBI/NSA evaluation.”
“The supply collected this info on behalf of personal purchasers and was not compensated for it by the FBI,” it continued. Nevertheless, the annex notes that Steele’s reporting was “not developed by the layered subsource community.”
“The FBI supply caveated that, though just like beforehand offered reporting by way of content material, the supply was unable to vouch for the extra info’s sourcing and accuracy,” the annex states. “Therefore this info is just not included on this product.”
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Justice Division Inspector Normal Michael Horowitz additionally reviewed the inclusion of Steele’s reporting within the ICA throughout his overview of alleged misconduct associated to the International Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Horowitz stated that the unverified file helped function the premise for controversial FISA warrants obtained towards former Trump marketing campaign aide Carter Web page.
One-time advisor to then-President-elect Donald Trump Carter Web page addresses the viewers throughout a presentation in Moscow on Dec. 12, 2016. (Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters)
His report, launched in late 2019, discovered that there have been “vital inaccuracies and omissions” in FISA warrants for Web page. These warrants relied closely on Steele’s reporting, regardless of the FBI not having had particular info corroborating allegations towards Web page that have been included in Steele’s reporting.
Fox Information Digital has discovered that the International Intelligence Surveillance Court docket ordered that info surrounding FISAs for Web page shall be reviewed and utilized by the FBI and Justice Division as a part of their investigations.
The FBI and CIA declined to remark.
Neither Brennan nor Comey instantly responded to Fox Information Digital’s request for remark.
Former particular counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to take over the FBI’s unique “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation. After almost two years, Mueller’s investigation, which concluded in March 2019, yielded no proof of felony conspiracy or coordination between the Trump marketing campaign and Russian officers in the course of the 2016 presidential election.
John Durham was appointed as particular counsel to analyze the origins of the “Crossfire Hurricane” probe. (Screenshot/HouseJudiciaryCommittee)
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Shortly after, John Durham was appointed as particular counsel to analyze the origins of the “Crossfire Hurricane” probe.
Durham discovered that the FBI “did not act” on a “clear warning signal” that the bureau was the “goal” of a Clinton-led effort to “manipulate or affect the legislation enforcement course of for political functions” forward of the 2016 presidential election.
“The aforementioned info mirror a moderately startling and inexplicable failure to adequately contemplate and incorporate the Clinton Plan intelligence into the FBI’s investigative decision-making within the Crossfire Hurricane investigation,” Durham’s report states.
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“The Workplace confirmed parts of the Clinton Plan intelligence to quite a lot of people who have been actively concerned within the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. Most suggested they’d by no means seen the intelligence earlier than, and a few expressed shock and dismay upon studying of it,” Durham’s report states. “For instance, the unique Supervisory Particular Agent on the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, Supervisory Particular Agent-1, reviewed the intelligence throughout certainly one of his interviews with the Workplace.”
Durham added, “After studying it, Supervisory Particular Agent-I turned visibly upset and emotional, left the interview room along with his counsel, and subsequently returned to state emphatically that he had by no means been apprised ofthe Clinton Plan intelligence and had by no means seen the aforementioned Referral Memo.”
