U.S. officials: Russia may have 'compromising' information on Trump
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Russian operatives reportedly have "compromising personal and financial information" about President-elect Donald Trump, CNN reported Tuesday, citing U.S. officials. Trump was reportedly informed of this last week when he and President Obama were presented with a joint intelligence report on the Russian cyberattacks ahead of the U.S. presidential election by the four intelligence chiefs: Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Brennan, and NSA Director Adm. Mike Rogers. The two-page synopsis was reportedly only shared with Trump, Obama, and the chairmen and ranking members of House and Senate intelligence committees.
The information was given to the U.S. by a former British intelligence operative, who is considered a "credible" source by U.S. intelligence officials, CNN reports. The FBI is reportedly still investigating the "credibility and accuracy of these allegations." CNN reported the information was included in the intelligence briefing last week to ensure Trump knows "such allegations involving him are circulating among intelligence agencies, senior members of Congress, and other government officials in Washington," and also to prove Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party were not the only targets of Russian hacking, even though though leaks have only targeted them so far.
The Trump transition team repeatedly denied CNN's request for comment. "I have a sense the outgoing administration and intelligence community is setting down the pieces so this must be investigated seriously," a "high-level administration official" told CNN. "I think [the] concern was to be sure that whatever information was out there is put into the system so it is evaluated as it should be and acted upon as necessary." You can watch the CNN report below:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And read more on the story at CNN.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
‘Those rights don’t exist to protect criminals’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Key Bangladesh election returns old guard to powerSpeed Read The Bangladesh Nationalist Party claimed a decisive victory
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders