On Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe briefed Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on documents revealing an alleged Hillary Clinton plot to launch a scandal campaign attempting to tie then-candidate Donald Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russians’ hacking of the Democratic National Committee. The Intelligence Community had discovered a Russian analysis about the plot and even briefed President Barack Obama about it. CIA Director John Brennan forwarded a referral to FBI Director James Comey and a certain deputy assistant director of counterintelligence named Peter Strzok.
Graham said the newly uncovered documents may suggest a double standard at the FBI.
“This latest information provided by DNI Ratcliffe shows there may have been a double standard by the FBI regarding allegations against the Clinton campaign and Russia,” Graham said in a statement. “Whether these allegations are accurate is not the question. The question is did the FBI investigate the allegations against Clinton like they did Trump? If not, why not? If so, what was the scope of the investigation? If none, why was that?”
Graham said he would question Comey about this report at the hearing on Wednesday.
Ratcliffe revealed the Russian intelligence on the alleged Clinton plot in a letter to Graham and other senators.
“In late July 2016, U.S. intelligence agencies obtained insight into Russian intelligence analysis alleging that U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had approved a campaign plan to stir up a scandal against U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump by tying him to Putin and the Russians’ hacking of the Democratic National Committee,” the DNI wrote. “The IC does not know the accuracy of this allegation or the extent to which the Russian intelligence analysis may reflect exaggeration or fabrication.” Read more…
