Declassified documents have exposed a CIA plot to tarnish Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential victory.
In July, revelations surfaced showing CIA Director John Brennan and a select group of analysts skewed intelligence to push a false narrative of Russian interference favoring Trump, crafting a shoddy 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), though some still remain in their government positions, as the Daily Caller reports.
Former CIA officer Bryan Dean Wright claims two of these analysts still linger in the agency, one as a full-time “blue badge” employee and another as a “green badge” contractor. “At least two still do work there,” Wright told the Daily Caller News Foundation, hinting others may also retain influence. This cozy arrangement raises eyebrows about accountability in Langley’s shadowy halls.
The 2017 ICA, rushed out in a mere week before Christmas 2016, was penned by five CIA analysts handpicked by Brennan from a “Fusion Cell” probing Russian election meddling. Declassified on July 2, the CIA’s self-assessment admitted “procedural anomalies” and Brennan’s heavy hand in steering the narrative. Yet, the agency had the gall to claim the ICA’s “analytic rigor” surpassed most intelligence reports.
The ICA leaned heavily on a single human intelligence report claiming Vladimir Putin “aspired” for a Trump win. That report’s vague clause -- “whose victory Putin was counting on” -- was interpreted five different ways by the five analysts, exposing the assessment’s flimsy foundation. Talk about a house of cards built on quicksand.
Wright didn’t mince words in a recent op-ed: “These men thought they knew what was best for America, and they didn’t give a damn what voters like you thought.” Such arrogance from unelected bureaucrats reeks of a deep state run amok. The inclusion of the Steele dossier, a Democratic Party-funded hit piece, only deepens the stench of politicization.
Documents declassified by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in July laid bare how Obama-era intelligence chiefs twisted raw reports to claim Putin favored Trump over Clinton. The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence report, declassified on July 23, detailed the ICA’s creation under Brennan’s iron grip. Its findings were stifled by CIA restrictions, including a bizarre ban on moving the document to secure Capitol Hill spaces.
House Intelligence Chair Rick Crawford called the CIA’s self-assessment a “whitewash” hours after its release. The congressional report, produced in the 116th Congress under Devin Nunes, faced similar CIA stonewalling, yet still exposed the ICA’s shaky “aspired” judgment. These revelations confirm what many suspected: the CIA played fast and loose with the truth.
The CIA’s review process was a farce, with the ICA’s hard copy shuttled between Langley, D.C., and Fort Meade for a rushed two-day review. Sensitive intelligence was hidden from other agencies until the last minute, ensuring minimal scrutiny. This isn’t intelligence analysis; it’s a masterclass in narrative rigging.
Despite the scandal, at least two analysts remain comfortably employed, and others may still hold security clearances. Former CIA Director John Ratcliffe, in a 2023 op-ed, demanded that officials who betray public trust lose their clearances. “Officials who betray the public trust ... should be stripped of their clearances,” he wrote, a sentiment that resonates as these analysts skate free.
J. Michael Waller, a senior analyst at the Center for Security Policy, warned, “The CIA has become so severely politicized that it has fundamentally lowered its standards of integrity.” He’s not wrong -- when a single dodgy report fuels a “high confidence” claim, the agency’s credibility takes a nosedive. Waller’s quip about the CIA resembling the KGB might sound extreme, but it’s hard to argue when trust is this eroded.
The CIA’s training includes a video of analysts lamenting the flawed Iraqi WMD intelligence, yet lessons seem unlearned. The agency’s refusal to comment and Brennan’s silence through his WestExec Advisors firm, only fuels suspicions of a cover-up. Accountability feels like a pipe dream when the deep state protects its own.
An unnamed CIA deputy director of analysis claimed in the self-assessment that the ICA’s flaws weren’t “indicative of broader systemic problems.” That’s a laughable dodge -- when your flagship report hinges on one vague source and a rushed process, the system’s rotten. The CIA’s insistence on its own “rigor” is a slap in the face to taxpayers who fund this mess.
Wright’s warning about analysts who dismiss voters’ will cuts to the core of the issue. These operatives, cloaked in secrecy, act as if they’re above the electorate, crafting narratives to suit their biases. It’s not just a betrayal of trust; it’s a direct assault on the democratic process.
The Russiagate saga, propped up by a politicized CIA, shows how far the deep state will go to undermine a presidency. With analysts still embedded and clearances potentially intact, the risk of future meddling looms large. America deserves an intelligence community that serves the truth, not a progressive agenda masquerading as analysis.
