Comey acted on Russian intelligence he knew was fake
Washington (CNN) -- Then-FBI Director James Comey knew that a critical piece of information relating to the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email was fake -- created by Russian intelligence -- but he feared that if it became public it would undermine the probe and the Justice Department itself, according to multiple officials with knowledge of the process.
As a result, Comey acted unilaterally last summer to publicly declare the investigation over -- without consulting then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch -- while at the same time stating that Clinton had been "extremely careless" in her handling of classified information. His press conference caused a firestorm of controversy and drew criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.
Comey's actions based on what he knew was Russian disinformation offer a stark example of the way Russian interference impacted the decisions of the highest-level US officials during the 2016 campaign.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that this Russian intelligence was unreliable. US officials now tell CNN that Comey and FBI officials actually knew early on that this intelligence was indeed false.
More: The former FBI chief feared if the information got out it would undermine the Clinton email probe, sources say - CNN
Breaking on CNN. Here is my synopsis as I currently understand it:
Trump's bully tactics don't seem to be serving him very well in government. Although Republicans control the Supreme Court, Congress and White House, I expect that American patriotism will give us an outcome in the Trump-Russia crises that most of us will be reasonably satisfied with. However, there is one humongous wrong that can't be corrected - how Hillary Clinton was unfairly robbed of the presidency. Comey must burn in hell for how he messed that up. Reportedly, Comey opened his investigation into her emails based on a fake Russian document. Then, as time passed by, and he became more convinced he was duped (as others around him warned), he muddied the waters with all his subjective comments about Hillary being careless and sloppy with how she handled supposedly classified documents but nothing rose to the level of a crime that no prosecutor would pursue. He never admitted that his entire investigation was based on a fake Russian document - and he bypassed Attorney General Lynch right before the election to publicly state he was ending his investigation. He felt compelled to do this to keep AG Lynch from divulging that he was duped by a fake document - which we wouldn't know about except for the excellent reporting by The New York Times and The Washington Post - and other media professionals. Whether one loves or hates Hillary Clinton - one cannot deny how unfairly she was robbed of the presidency.
If anyone disagrees with the facts as I've stated them above - I welcome any factual corrections you may have to offer.
Washington (CNN) -- Then-FBI Director James Comey knew that a critical piece of information relating to the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email was fake -- created by Russian intelligence -- but he feared that if it became public it would undermine the probe and the Justice Department itself, according to multiple officials with knowledge of the process.
As a result, Comey acted unilaterally last summer to publicly declare the investigation over -- without consulting then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch -- while at the same time stating that Clinton had been "extremely careless" in her handling of classified information. His press conference caused a firestorm of controversy and drew criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.
Comey's actions based on what he knew was Russian disinformation offer a stark example of the way Russian interference impacted the decisions of the highest-level US officials during the 2016 campaign.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that this Russian intelligence was unreliable. US officials now tell CNN that Comey and FBI officials actually knew early on that this intelligence was indeed false.
More: The former FBI chief feared if the information got out it would undermine the Clinton email probe, sources say - CNN
Breaking on CNN. Here is my synopsis as I currently understand it:
Trump's bully tactics don't seem to be serving him very well in government. Although Republicans control the Supreme Court, Congress and White House, I expect that American patriotism will give us an outcome in the Trump-Russia crises that most of us will be reasonably satisfied with. However, there is one humongous wrong that can't be corrected - how Hillary Clinton was unfairly robbed of the presidency. Comey must burn in hell for how he messed that up. Reportedly, Comey opened his investigation into her emails based on a fake Russian document. Then, as time passed by, and he became more convinced he was duped (as others around him warned), he muddied the waters with all his subjective comments about Hillary being careless and sloppy with how she handled supposedly classified documents but nothing rose to the level of a crime that no prosecutor would pursue. He never admitted that his entire investigation was based on a fake Russian document - and he bypassed Attorney General Lynch right before the election to publicly state he was ending his investigation. He felt compelled to do this to keep AG Lynch from divulging that he was duped by a fake document - which we wouldn't know about except for the excellent reporting by The New York Times and The Washington Post - and other media professionals. Whether one loves or hates Hillary Clinton - one cannot deny how unfairly she was robbed of the presidency.
If anyone disagrees with the facts as I've stated them above - I welcome any factual corrections you may have to offer.
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