CIA review criticizes procedures but not conclusions of intelligence report on 2016 Russia election interference
NBCJUL 6
CIA Releases New Report on 2016 Trump-Russia Probe
Above: CIA Director John Ratcliffe departs a briefing with members of Congress in Washington, D.C., on June 27, 2025. Image copyright: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
This review demolishes Democrat claims that Trump deserved to be investigated, exposing the Obama CIA's corrupt 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment. Brennan, Clapper, and Comey manipulated a rushed, politically charged process, sidelining analysts and ignoring tradecraft. They forced the discredited Steele dossier into the report despite warnings it would taint credibility. This sham assessment, driven by bias and leaks, proves the Russia collusion probe was a baseless witch hunt.
Democratic narrative
This report confirms nothing other than the 2016 ICA's core finding — Russia aimed to sway the election for Trump. Despite procedural flaws and rushed timelines, the assessment's analytic rigor was robust, exceeding most IC standards. The Steele dossier's inclusion was a mistake, but it didn't inform the conclusions. Claims of a corrupt process are overblown, as the review vindicates the intelligence, refuting Trump's narrative of a baseless witch hunt.
Cynical narrative
Whether or not you support Trump on the Russia issue, John Ratcliffe's CIA, far from dismantling the deep state, mirrors the same establishment corruption exposed pre-Trump. His Bush-era ties, support for FISA's warrantless surveillance, and work with the defense industry align him with the swamp. Any report he puts out will never include the full truth about the U.S. national security apparatus.