Former CIA Director John Ratcliffe has made headlines with his recent announcement on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," where he promised the release of new documents that purportedly unveil Hillary Clinton's involvement in what he calls the "Russiagate hoax." The interview, conducted by Maria Bartiromo, has stirred up renewed attention to the long-standing controversy over Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.
Ratcliffe pinpointed the "underlying intelligence" cited in the annex of the Durham report — the investigation into the FBI's handling of the Russia probe — which is now in the process of being declassified. "What hasn't come out yet, and what's going to come out, is the underlying intelligence," Ratcliffe stated, suggesting a direct link to a plan by Clinton and the FBI to propagate the infamous Steele dossier and the narrative of collusion with Russia.
The Steele dossier, a document compiled by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele, was funded by Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Despite being largely discredited, it was a significant component that the FBI used to justify the initiation of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
Ratcliffe recounted an interception of Russian communications in the summer of 2016, which he claimed discussed a strategy by Hillary Clinton to falsely accuse Donald Trump of collusion, using what later became known as the Steele dossier. He also mentioned reviewing handwritten notes from former CIA Director John Brennan, which he says reveal the "underlying intelligence behind it all."
The former CIA Director expressed confidence that the new evidence, which he claims has been hidden from the public, will soon come to light. Clinton and officials from the Obama administration have consistently denied that the Steele dossier was the catalyst for the FBI's investigation. However, Ratcliffe dismissed these denials, asserting his belief that there was a conspiracy against Trump and the American people.
Both Ratcliffe and the current Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, have submitted referrals to the Justice Department based on their findings. Ratcliffe anticipates that the statute of limitations will not impede the investigation, citing that on conspiracy charges, the clock does not start ticking until the last act in furtherance of the conspiracy — and he believes they are still acting to further it.
Gabbard has also been active in revealing intelligence, including a 2020 House report that found insufficient evidence to conclude Russia favored Trump in the 2016 election. She has disclosed that top intelligence officials had evidence that Russia did not hack voting systems to change the election outcome.
Recently, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the formation of a "strike force" within the Justice Department to review the referrals from Gabbard and Ratcliffe. This development promises to add another layer to the ongoing saga of the 2016 election and its aftermath.
