James Comey reportedly wanted to go public with info on Russian election tampering last summer

(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

published 30 March 2017

During a meeting last summer in the situation room at the White House, FBI Director James Comey said he was considering writing an op-ed to explain how Russia was trying to influence the U.S. presidential election, people with knowledge of the matter told Newsweek.

Several notable officials were in the room, including former Secretary of State John Kerry and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Newsweek reports, and White House officials thought it would make more sense to release a message supported by several different intelligence agencies instead of a solo op-ed. The piece would not have mentioned the FBI's investigation, started in July, into possible collusion between President Trump's campaign and Russia, Newsweek reports. That investigation was confirmed earlier this month by Comey.

On October 7, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a statement alleging that the Russian government was tampering with the election to disrupt the U.S., months after it was first reported that hackers had gained access to Democratic National Committee emails. Newsweek says that had Comey written his op-ed, it likely would have been sent to The New York Times, and would have included much of the information that was in the intelligence report released January 6 about Russian President Vladimir Putin influencing the presidential election.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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