Ratcliffe’s scathing review finds John Brennan pushed to include Steele Dossier in 2016 assessment

Just the News ^ | July 2, 2025 12:24pm Updated: July 2, 2025 1:31pm | Jerry Dunleavy

[E. Pluribus Unum]

A "lessons learned" review by John Ratliffe's CIA finds multiple problems with the U.S. intelligence community's assessment on the 2016 election, including related to the inclusion of the discredited Steele Dossier and the conclusions on Putin's motives.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has released a scathing review of the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment of Russian influence in the 2016 election, criticizing then-CIA Director John Brennan for joining the FBI in pushing to include British ex-spy Christopher Steele’s baseless anti-Trump dossier.

In the review, released Tuesday, Ratcliffe also critiqued the CIA and FBI's “high confidence” assessment that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had “aspired” to help Trump win.

The newly-released, largely declassified, eight-page “lessons learned” review, dated June 26 – focuses on the December 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) about Russia and the November 2016 election – was put together by the CIA's Directorate of Analysis (DA) at Ratcliffe’s direction and concluded that “the decision by agency heads to include the Steele Dossier in the ICA ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment.” 

The review also pointed the finger at Brennan as well as at the leadership of the FBI at the time.

Ratcliffe tweeted on Tuesday, in announcing the review being made public, that President Donald Trump “has trusted me with helping to end weaponization of U.S. intelligence” and that “today's report underscores that the 2016 IC Assessment was conducted through an atypical & corrupt process under the politically charged environments” of Brennan & since-fired FBI Director James Comey.

“The procedural anomalies that characterized the ICA’s development had a direct impact on the tradecraft applied to its most contentious finding. With analysts operating under severe time constraints, limited information sharing, and heightened senior-level scrutiny, several aspects of tradecraft rigor were...

---

TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: arrestjohnbrennan; cia; johnbrennan; sedition

[sauropod]

Bkmk

[Opinionated Blowhard]

John Brennan needs to be in prison, period.

[Carry_Okie]

Oh, but this is the product of a CIA and FBI POLITICIZED BY TRUMP!!! /s

[Carry_Okie]

The January 2017 assessment from the CIA, the FBI, and the National Security Agency (NSA) concluded with “high confidence” that Putin “ordered an influence campaign in 2016” and that Russia worked to “undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate former Secretary of State [Hillary] Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency” and “developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.”

Hillary is such a thug could you blame Putin if he did?

[JerseyDvl]

Can Trump sue Brennan for any of this?

[9YearLurker]

“Scathing”? Any referrals to Pam for prosecution?

No, I didn’t think so.

[Col Frank Slade]

Don’t forget Hillary’s campaign involvement via Jake Sullivan & Co.

[A Navy Vet]

Same ole crap by Brennan.

[PGR88]

So when will Brennan be publicly hanged for treason against the Constitution and plotting a coup against an elected President?

[shelterguy]

“””Don’t forget Hillary’s campaign involvement via Jake Sullivan & Co.”””

Don’t forget the FEC fined Hillary for campaign violations for saying the million dollars spent on the fake dossier was “legal expenses”.

http://www.cnn.com/2022/03/30/politics/clinton-dnc-steele-dossier-fusion-gps/

[Blue Highway]

“scathing review”? We want prison sentences not strongly worded rebukes.

[FlyingEagle]

High Confidence Brenner Committed High Treason.

[bantam]

DITTO!!!

Will we see any action related to it???? /s
Pathetic!!!!!!!!!!

[liberalh8ter]

“scathing review”? We want prison sentences not strongly worded rebukes.

And we sure as heck shouldn’t be paying this traitor a pension!

[AndyJackson]

Russia worked to “undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process

The notion that their was any faith to undermine is laughably absurd.

[Carry_Okie]

The notion that their was any faith to undermine is laughably absurd.

You are forgetting Rush's "low-information voters."

[DoughtyOne]

I know the actual laws on treason are pretty narrow, but Brennan and those who tried to destroy Trump’s political Carter in this manner deserve the death penalty. This was tantamount to a coup before the fact, and they kept at it even after the fact. That constitutes treason enough for me. They deserve to be executed.

[Blue Highway]

Damn right!

[Iron Munro]

Why isn’t this traitor on death row in some federal penitentiary?