Ex-CIA chief: Steele dossier played no role in assessment on Russia's election interference

Source: The Hill




Ex-CIA chief: Steele dossier played no role in intelligence assessment on Russia's election interference

BY BRETT SAMUELS - 02/04/18 11:04 AM EST

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Former CIA Director John Brennan said Sunday that the so-called Steele dossier containing allegations about President Trump’s ties to Russia was not a factor in the intelligence community's assessment that Moscow interfered in the 2016 election.

“I was unaware of the provenance of it as well as what was in it. And it did not play any role whatsoever in the intelligence community’s assessment that was done, that was presented to then-President Obama and then-President-elect Trump,” Brennan said on NBC's “Meet The Press.”

The dossier, compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, was funded in part by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Brennan, who led the CIA from 2013-2017, said it was up to the FBI to see if it could verify the information in the dossier. "If the Russians were involved in something like that, directed against individuals who are aspiring to the highest office in this land, there was an obligation on the part of the FBI to seek out the truth on it," he said.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/372222-ex-cia-chief-steele-dossier-played-no-role-whatsoever-in