Feds won't release redacted intelligence report on Russian election meddling

Source: Politico




By JOSH GERSTEIN 06/27/2017 12:15 AM EDT Updated 06/27/2017 07:51 AM EDT

The Trump administration is refusing to release a redacted version of a key report President Barack Obama received in January on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, court filings show.

Then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper made public an unclassified version of that report, but the Electronic Privacy Information Center brought a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit demanding a copy of the classified report given to Obama at the same time. EPIC said the unclassified version omitted "critical technical evidence" that could help the public assess U.S. intelligence agencies' claims that Russia did make efforts to affect the outcome of the 2016 race.

However, a top official in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a court declaration filed Monday that releasing the original report with classified information blacked out would be a field day for foreign intelligence operatives, including the very Russians the report accuses of undertaking the interference.

"Release of a redacted report would be of particular assistance to Russian intelligence, which, armed with both the declassified report and a redacted copy of the classified report, would be able to discern the volume of intelligence the U.S. currently possesses with respect to Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election," Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Intelligence Integration Edward Gistaro wrote.



Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2017/06/27/russia-election-probe-intelligence-239985