CIA Memo: Obama Team ‘Excessively Involved’ In Fueling Trump-Russia Narrative

Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA,

A newly declassified CIA memo revealed that top officials within the Obama administration deliberately manipulated intelligence to exaggerate Russia’s purported 2016 election interference. This set the stage for the years‑long Trump‑Russia collusion probe. 

The review, commissioned by CIA Director John Ratcliffe in May 2025, reassessed the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian interference.

It found then‑CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey and DNI James Clapper were “excessively involved” in framing the initial Russia narrative. 

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

On Dec. 6, 2016—just weeks after President Donald Trump’s election—then-outgoing President Barack Obama ordered the probe, concluding Vladimir Putin “aspired” to sway the vote. 

However, according to the declassified 2025 review, Brennan, Comey and Clapper rushed the 2016 assessment in a “chaotic,” “atypical” and “markedly unconventional” fashion, raising questions about a “potential political motive.” 

The review found intelligence officials felt “jammed” by the rushed timeline, with many seeing the draft report for the first time at the sole in-person review on December 19.

One CIA author called it “unusual” that so few changes were made to such a lengthy and high-profile assessment. 

This rushed assessment ultimately cast doubt on Trump’s legitimacy and opened the door to the Mueller investigation, partisan congressional hearings, and countless media leaks. 

“All the world can now see the truth: Brennan, Clapper and Comey manipulated intelligence and silenced career professionals — all to get Trump,” Ratcliffe said, thanking CIA officers who conducted the review.

New York Post columnist Miranda Devine broke the story on Wednesday, revealing the review’s damning conclusions. 

The review confirms what was already widely known in conservative and Republican circles: Brennan, Comey and Clapper were the political architects of the Trump-Russia hoax.