John Brennan's prized Russia informant abruptly said to be imperiled by Barr's new power
by Daniel Chaitin
& Jerry Dunleavy
| May 24, 2019 04:12 PM
The need for secrecy was so great that CIA Director John Brennan hand-delivered information from a critical informant close to Russian President Vladimir Putin in an envelope to President Barack Obama in August 2016.
Now, one day after President Trump gave Attorney General William Barr "full and complete authority to declassify information" related to the origins of the federal investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, the New York Times reports this source is in jeopardy.
The declassification order, celebrated by GOP allies and derided by Democrats as a "plot to dirty up the intelligence community," could put the Justice Department at odds with the CIA over the protection of the identity of this key informant who provided information about the Kremlin's role in interfering in the 2016 election.
Specifically, this informant was the U.S. intelligence community's source in determining that Putin personally "ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election" to undermine Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in favor of Trump. Obama made this public before he left office.
The informant is described as being a long-nurtured source who rose up the Russian ranks. Believed to still be alive, the well-being of the informant is one concern as Barr digs into the earliest days of the Russia investigation. Former national security officials and Democratic lawmakers are also worried that Trump may be putting other sources and methods at risk as part of a politically motivated effort to "investigate the investigators."
Overseen by Brennan, the information delivered by this high-placed informant was treated with the utmost care, but done so outside of the norm.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/john-brennans-prized-russia-informant-abruptly-said-to-be-imperiled-by-barrs-new-power
