teamgreen02 Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 CNN quietly walking back the fake news from last week. Washington (CNN)The US intelligence community's top election security official appears to have overstated the intelligence community's formal assessment of Russian interference in the 2020 election, omitting important nuance during a briefing with lawmakers earlier this month, three national security officials told CNN. The official, Shelby Pierson, told lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election with the goal of helping President Donald Trump get reelected. The US intelligence community has assessed that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election and has separately assessed that Russia views Trump as a leader they can work with. But the US does not have evidence that Russia's interference this cycle is aimed at reelecting Trump, the officials said. "The intelligence doesn't say that," one senior national security official told CNN. "A more reasonable interpretation of the intelligence is not that they have a preference, it's a step short of that. It's more that they understand the President is someone they can work with, he's a dealmaker." What national security adviser Robert O'Brien is saying about Russia briefing 'conflicts' with what lawmakers were told Pierson's characterization of Russian interference led to pointed questions from lawmakers, which officials said caused Pierson to overstep and assert that Russia has a preference for Trump to be reelected. One intelligence official said that Pierson's characterization of the intelligence was "misleading" and a national security official said Pierson failed to provide the "nuance" needed to accurately convey the US intelligence conclusions. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where Pierson is a senior official, did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Trump has been periodically briefed on Russian interference in the 2020 election, but was upset when he learned of Pierson's characterization of the intelligence in part because intelligence officials had not characterized the interference as explicitly pro-Trump. One national security official said Russia's only clear aim, as of now, is to sow discord in the United States. Russia interfered in the 2016 election with the aim of helping Trump get elected and damaging then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign, the intelligence community concluded, writing in its post-election assessment that "Putin and the Russian government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump." And while it is not inconceivable that Russia is once again looking to boost Trump's candidacy, three national security officials said the US intelligence community does not yet have the evidence to make that assessment. Sanders told Russia is trying to help his campaign Since becoming President, Trump has consistently questioned that intelligence assessment, including during a news conference alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin. And many of Trump's foreign policies have benefited Russia, from his abrupt pullout of US troops from northern Syria to the discord he has sown with America's closest European allies. And he has previously expressed a reluctance to impose severe sanctions on Russia. Those facts, the US assessment that Russia views Trump as someone they can work with and the separate assessment of Russian interference in the 2020 elections may have led Pierson to connect the dots. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, argued Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that Russia would like to see Trump reelected "because he has been a gift to Russia." "He has essentially ceded the Middle East to Russian interests. He has accomplished more in the undermining of NATO than Russia has in the last 20 years," Murphy said. "And he continues to effectively deny that they have an ongoing political operation here in the United States that, by and large, is intended to support Donald Trump and his allies." One source familiar with the matter said Pierson was merely providing her view of the intelligence as she faced a series of questions from lawmakers trying to pin her down on whether the intelligence showed a Russian preference for Trump. Russian meddling was out of a spy novel in 2016. It's turning 2020 into a horror movie. It's the type of situation intelligence briefers are prepped to avoid, the source said, in part so as not to wade into partisan controversy. The source said the answer she provided has been misconstrued because it lacked context and nuance. The brouhaha over the intelligence briefing led national security adviser Robert O'Brien to flatly deny the existence of an intelligence assessment regarding Russian interference aimed at helping Trump. But O'Brien did not explain that the US has also assessed that the Kremlin views Trump as a leader they can work with. "Well, there's no briefing that I've received, that the President has received, that says that President Putin is doing anything to try and influence the elections in favor of President Trump. We just haven't seen that intelligence. If it's out there, I haven't seen it. I'd be surprised if I haven't seen it. The leaders of our -- the IC have not seen it," O'Brien said on CBS' "Face the Nation." But while O'Brien denied that assessment, he was quick to seize on reports that Russia is interfering in the election to help Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primaries -- and mischaracterized the reports to suggest Russia wants Sanders to be President. Bernie Sanders' revolution is coming. His rivals are running out of time to stop it "There are these reports that they want Bernie Sanders to get elected president. That's no surprise. He honeymooned in Moscow," O'Brien told ABC News, parroting a line Trump used during a campaign rally on Friday. While intelligence agencies warned Sanders that Russia is interfering to boost him in the Democratic primaries, they have not assessed that Russia wants Sanders to win the general election. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member Jimmy Snacks Posted February 24, 2020 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted February 24, 2020 WGAF...understated, overstated...accurately stated...it’s dismissed before it’s even read by Trumps people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKIQPilot Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 1 hour ago, Jimmy Snacks said: WGAF...understated, overstated...accurately stated...it’s dismissed before it’s even read by Trumps people. Accurately dismissed I would like to point out. Much like 3/4 of what the media puts out about Trump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member Jimmy Snacks Posted February 24, 2020 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted February 24, 2020 12 minutes ago, AKIQPilot said: Accurately dismissed I would like to point out. Much like 3/4 of what the media puts out about Trump. I already said WGAF....Trump is surrounding himself with unqualified yes men and Barr is meeting behind closed doors with Senate Republicans planning ways to fuck our privacy over but hey who cares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 3 hours ago, Jimmy Snacks said: I already said WGAF....Trump is surrounding himself with unqualified yes men and Barr is meeting behind closed doors with Senate Republicans planning ways to fuck our privacy over but hey who cares. Here's a thought..... Maybe let things play out a bit before you get all bent out of shape over it..... you might save yourself a little ridicule and embarrassment.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zambroski Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 Just now, Snake said: Here's a thought..... Maybe let things play out a bit before you get all bent out of shape over it..... you might save yourself a little ridicule and embarrassment.... Poor Jimjambronie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 “Donald Trump is a Russian asset!!” —Bernie Sanders, Soviet sympathizer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Danger Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 7 hours ago, Jimmy Snacks said: WGAF...understated, overstated...accurately stated...it’s dismissed before it’s even read by Trumps people. So a bunch of politicians go into a top secret briefing that is supposed to stay secret and a half hour after the meeting is over CNN and the NYT have a story of what was said at the meeting......How? It is all just Washington BS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ez ryder Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 7 hours ago, Jimmy Snacks said: WGAF...understated, overstated...accurately stated...it’s dismissed before it’s even read by Trumps people. and looks they were correct to dismiss it . shocker it was nothing but a headline for the sheep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mileage Psycho Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Will Pierson get to keep his job now, or will he still get smoked? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ez ryder Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 1 hour ago, Snake said: Here's a thought..... Maybe let things play out a bit before you get all bent out of shape over it..... you might save yourself a little ridicule and embarrassment.... no no no much more fun to run your life on emotions biased on headlines printed just for that reason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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