CNN analyst accuses Trump admin of aiding Russia by releasing ‘cherry-picked' intel on Trump-Russia collusion investigation
Sanner slammed the administration on Wednesday for releasing the report, which she claimed included 'cherry-picked examples' that ran contrary to the intelligence community's assessment at the time that Russian President Vladimir Putin meddled in the 2016 election in hopes of helping President Donald Trump win.
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'What I don't appreciate is that these are cherry-picked examples that they are quibbling, angels dancing on the head of a pin when we have volumes of reporting,' she asserted.
'You're always going to find one report that's different, OK, whatever.'
The report revealed that the intelligence community did not have any direct information that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to help elect Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election, but, at the 'unusual' direction of then-President Barack Obama, published 'potentially biased' or 'implausible' intelligence suggesting otherwise.
3 CNN National Security Analyst Beth Sanner says the Trump administration aided Russia after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified a previous report.
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The report states that then-CIA Director John Brennan 'ordered the post-election publication of 15 reports containing previously collected but unpublished intelligence, three of which were substandard—containing information that was unclear, of uncertain origin, potentially biased, or implausible—and those became foundational sources for the ICA judgements that Putin preferred Trump over Clinton.'
The CNN analyst disputed these findings, arguing that the 'big message' for Americans is that 'Russia tried to interfere in our election processes with the point of undermining our confidence in our democracy and, by bringing this up again, the Trump administration is doing the work of our adversary Russia.'
3 Sanner claimed the report had 'cherry-picked examples' that ran contrary to the initial assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to help secure President Donald Trump's win.
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3 The current report indicates that Putin didn't have direct access to help elect Trump in 2016.
AFP via Getty Images
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Sanner's claims stand in stark contrast to Gabbard's statements made at a White House press briefing Wednesday, alleging the Obama administration promoted a 'contrived narrative' that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
'There is irrefutable evidence that details how President Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an intelligence community assessment that they knew was false,' Gabbard said.
'They knew it would promote this contrived narrative that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help President Trump win, selling it to the American people as though it were true. It wasn't.'
Fox News' Brooke Singman and Diana Stacey contributed to this report.
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San Francisco Chronicle
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11 minutes ago
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WASHINGTON — As a wary Washington waited, the White House promised a ramp-up of National Guard troops and federal officers on the streets of the nation's capital around the clock starting Wednesday, days after President Trump's unprecedented announcement that his administration would take over the city's police department for at least a month. The city's Democratic mayor and police chief framed the influx as a plus for public safety, though they said there are few hard measures for what a successful end to the operation might look like. The Republican president has said crime in the city was at emergency levels that only such federal intervention could fix even as District of Columbia leaders pointed to statistics showing violent crime at a 30-year low after a sharp rise two years ago. For two days, small groups of federal officers have been visible in scattered areas of the city. That is about to change, the administration says. 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The arrests made by 1,450 federal and local officers across the city included those for suspicion of driving under the influence, unlawful entry, as well as a warrant for assault with a deadly weapon, according to the White House. Seven illegal firearms were seized. Unlike in other U.S. states and cities, the law gives Trump the power to take over Washington's police for up to a month. Extending Trump's power over the city for longer would require approval from Congress, and that could be tough in the face of Democratic resistance. The president has full command of the National Guard, but as of Tuesday evening, guard members had yet to be assigned a specific mission, according to an official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. As many as 800 troops were expected to be mobilized in a support role to law enforcement, though exactly what form remains to be determined. The push also includes clearing out encampments for people who are homeless, Trump has said. U.S. Park Police have removed dozens of tents since March, and plan to take out two more this week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said. People are offered the chance to go to shelters and get addiction treatment, if needed, but those who refuse could be fined or jailed, she said. City officials said they are making more shelter space available and increasing their outreach. The federal effort comes even after a drop in violent crime in the nation's capital, a trend that experts have seen in cities across the U.S. since an increase during the coronavirus pandemic. On average, the level of violence in Washington remains mostly higher than averages in three dozen cities analyzed by the nonprofit Council on Criminal Justice, said the group's president and CEO, Adam Gelb. Police Chief Pamela Smith said during an interview with the local Fox affiliate that the city's Metro Police Department has been down nearly 800 officers. She said the increased number of federal agents on the streets would help fill that gap, at least for now. Mayor Muriel Bowser said city officials did not get any specific goals for the surge during a meeting with Trump's attorney general, Pam Bondi, and other top federal law enforcement officials Tuesday. But, she said, 'I think they regard it as a success to have more presence and take more guns off the street, and we do too.' She had previously called Trump's moves 'unsettling and unprecedented' while pointing out he was within a president's legal rights regarding the district, which is the seat of American government but is not a state. For some residents, the increased presence of law enforcement and National Guard troops is nerve-racking. 'I've seen them right here at the subway ... they had my street where I live at blocked off yesterday, actually,' Washington native Sheina Taylor said. 'It's more fearful now because even though you're a law-abiding citizen, here in D.C., you don't know, especially because I'm African American.' Whitehurst and Khalil write for the Associated Press. AP writers Konstantin Toropin and Will Weissert, photographer Jacquelyn Martin and video journalist River Zhang contributed to this report.
