- The Department of Justice has escalated its investigation into the origins of the Russiagate scandal, issuing fresh subpoenas targeting documents related to the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), which accused Russia of interfering in the 2016 election to aid Donald Trump.
- The probe centers on actions taken during the Obama administration's final weeks and early Trump presidency, particularly the inclusion of the Steele Dossier—a Democratic-funded opposition research document—in the classified ICA, despite its unverified claims.
- Former CIA Director John Brennan, a vocal Trump critic, has been subpoenaed and is a subject of the investigation. Internal CIA records contradict his public claims that he opposed the dossier’s inclusion, raising questions about political bias in the ICA.
- Prosecutors are now demanding records from years after the ICA’s release, potentially covering communications during and after Robert Mueller’s investigation, which found no criminal Trump-Russia conspiracy despite detailing Russian interference.
- The outcome of this probe will shape public trust in U.S. intelligence agencies and the rule of law, as it seeks to determine whether the Russiagate scandal was a legitimate investigation or a politically motivated Deep State operation against Trump.
In a significant escalation of a long-running political and legal battle, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a new round of subpoenas as part of its investigation into the genesis of the "Russiagate" scandal.
According to a report by the Associated Press on Wednesday, Feb. 18, federal prosecutors are compelling the production of documents related to the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) that accused Russia of interfering in the 2016 election to aid President Donald Trump. This move, emanating from a Florida-based investigation, targets perceived political adversaries of the former president and seeks records from the years following the controversial assessment's publication.
The investigation focuses on the actions of officials during the final weeks of the Obama administration and the early Trump presidency. At its heart is the January 2017 ICA – a product of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Security Agency – which concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a multifaceted campaign to undermine Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump win. For Trump and his allies, this assessment was not an objective finding but the foundational act of a Deep State conspiracy to delegitimize his presidency from its first day.
Central to the controversy, and to the current DOJ subpoenas, is the incorporation of the now-discredited Steele Dossier into the intelligence process. This dossier, a collection of uncorroborated reports alleging ties between Trump and Russia, was compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele using Democratic Party-funded opposition research. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch engine, the dossier claimed Moscow had compromising material on Trump and orchestrated election interference in 2016.
Despite its dubious provenance and unverified claims, a summary was included as an annex in the classified version of the 2017 ICA. A declassified CIA review last summer criticized the process, suggesting then-CIA Director John Brennan prioritized "narrative consistency over analytical soundness" by allowing its inclusion, a move that has fueled allegations of a politically tainted intelligence product.
Brennan in the hot seat
Former CIA Director John Brennan finds himself a primary target of this inquiry. His lawyers have confirmed he received a subpoena last fall and has been informed he is a subject of the investigation. This places Brennan, a vocal critic of Trump, in legal jeopardy.
He has publicly testified that he opposed the dossier's inclusion, blaming the FBI for pushing it. However, the CIA tradecraft review released under incumbent Director John Ratcliffe presents internal quotes that appear to contradict his public stance, showing Brennan stating the dossier's information "warrants inclusion in the report." His legal team has fiercely challenged the investigation's basis, arguing in a letter to a Florida judge that prosecutors have failed to identify any legitimate crime they are investigating.
The ICA provided the intellectual justification for Special Counsel Robert Mueller's subsequent investigation into Trump-Russia collusion. While Mueller's report detailed extensive Russian interference and noted the Trump campaign welcomed the help, it did not establish a criminal conspiracy.
The latest subpoenas expand the temporal scope of the investigation beyond the initial request for documents from late 2016 and early 2017. Prosecutors are now seeking any related records compiled in the years since, potentially encompassing communications and actions taken during the Mueller probe and its aftermath.
The issuance of new subpoenas confirms that the war over the narrative of Russiagate is far from over. The final outcome will deliver a verdict not just on individuals, but on one of the most divisive chapters in modern American history, with profound implications for public trust in the intelligence community and the rule of law itself.
Watch this report about the DOJ reportedly launching grand jury probe into Russiagate allegations.
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