James Comey pushed to include anti-Trump dossier in intelligence file despite CIA objections
Source: Then-FBI Director James B. Comey directly advocated inclusion
By Rowan Scarborough - The Washington Times - Wednesday, September 19, 2018
The FBI pushed in 2016 to include the discredited dossier into the official intelligence community assessment that Russia interfered in the election to help Donald Trump and hurt Hillary Clinton, two former senior officials said.
The officials told The Washington Times that as the historic ICA, as it is known, was being drafted, the FBI wanted to fold in allegations and observations from dossier writer Christopher Steele.
One source said then-FBI Director James B. Comey directly advocated inclusion. A second source said FBI officials definitely wanted Mr. Steele’s charges on Kremlin behavior included but could not single out Mr. Comey as the main driver.
The sources said James R. Clapper, then director of national intelligence, and John O. Brennan, then director of the CIA, objected on grounds that the dossier remained largely unconfirmed information from a former British spy, not vetted U.S. intelligence.
“The IC assessment was corroborated intelligence that involved what the intelligence community agreed with,†the source said. “The dossier was a totally separate thing that had not gone through that type of process, so it should not be included. That was the decision that was made.â€
The two former officials declined to discuss motives for why the FBI wanted to elevate the dossier from outside political research to part of the official government record.
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https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/sep/19/james-comeys-fbi-pushed-anti-trump-dossier-officia/
