CIA Director John Ratcliffe has declassified a tradecraft review of the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), accusing former Obama-era intelligence chiefs of politicizing the Russia election interference probe.
All the world can now see the truth: Brennan, Clapper and Comey manipulated intelligence and silenced career professionals — all to get Trump. Thank you to the career @CIA officers who conducted this review and exposed the facts. https://t.co/S7Mxz6xA6P
— CIA Director John Ratcliffe (@CIADirector) July 2, 2025
The review criticizes ex-CIA Director John Brennan and other top officials for pushing the now-discredited Steele Dossier into the ICA over objections from CIA analysts. The document says this move undermined the credibility of the assessment and ignored basic analytic standards.
“Brennan, Clapper and Comey manipulated intelligence and silenced career professionals — all to get Trump,” Ratcliffe said on X.
The report cites procedural anomalies like a rushed timeline, excessive involvement by agency heads, and early media leaks suggesting predetermined conclusions. CIA managers warned that asserting Vladimir Putin aimed to help Trump lacked sufficient evidence and risked bias.
Ratcliffe said the review highlights the need to protect intelligence from political influence to ensure accuracy and credibility.
