Thread: Trump says he wasn't warned in 2016 about Russia threats. He was.

Trump says he wasn't warned in 2016 about Russia threats. He was.

By Marshall Cohen
Updated 5:40 PM ET, Thu May 31, 2018

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump questioned on Thursday why the FBI never warned his campaign that Russians might try to infiltrate his team, despite being briefed on the matter in August 2016.

In a tweet, Trump echoed recent comments from conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who lambasted the FBI and claimed that the bureau never raised the issue with Trump or his campaign.

"RUSH LIMBAUGH: 'If the FBI was so concerned, and if they weren't targeting Trump, they should have told Trump. If they were really concerned about the Russians infiltrating a campaign (hoax), then why not try to stop it? Why not tell Trump? Because they were pushing this scam,'" Trump wrote on Twitter.

Trump has pressed this point throughout the past week. During a Memorial Day weekend full of tweets about the Russia probe, Trump wrote, "why didn't the crooked highest levels of the FBI or 'Justice' contact me to tell me of the phony Russia problem?"

But these claims ignore the fact that Trump was personally warned in August 2016 by senior US intelligence officials that foreign adversaries -- including Russia -- would likely attempt to infiltrate his team or gather intelligence about his campaign, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The security briefing included information about potential interference by foreign actors, including Russia, according to sources familiar with a memo that detailed the August 2016 briefing. In October 2017, senior Justice Department officials gave lawmakers from both parties a readout on the 2016 briefing after Republicans demanded to see documents about the Russia investigation and related matters.

A warning of this nature would likely also mention potential activities by China. Trump has repeatedly said, during the campaign and as President, that multiple countries tried to influence the election.

Trump was also told that the Russian government was trying to meddle in the election and that Russia played a direct role in hacks against the Democratic National Committee, NBC News reported in October 2016. Internal DNC emails were published by WikiLeaks about one month before Trump received the briefing.

James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence whose office prepared the sensitive campaign-season briefings, confirmed that both candidates were informed about Russia's role in the hacks.

"Not knowing exactly what the FBI concerns were or what they knew, what the predicate was, it's kind of hard to say," Clapper said Sunday on CBS News' "Face the Nation." "But, subsequently, certainly, particularly when we became more aware of the Russian cyber intrusions, both campaigns were advised of that."

CNN previously reported that Trump got the briefing on August 17, 2016. As is customary, the same information was offered to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton after she had secured the nomination.

Before the briefings, both parties said the other nominee should not learn the nation's secrets. Democrats said Trump could not be trusted; Republicans said Clinton mishandled classified material.

The purpose of these defensive briefings is to ensure that both campaigns know the threats from foreign intelligence services, and have the tools to protect themselves, according to CNN law enforcement analyst Josh Campbell.

With Trump, the situation was unique because the FBI was conducting a counterintelligence investigation into his campaign while it was warning him about Russia.

"They likely would not be so specific as to outline the things they are seeing, because they don't want to blow their investigation," Campbell said. "But it is incumbent upon the intelligence community to provide both candidates with a baseline level of what the threat is and how to protect against those threats. "

These initial briefings are meant to establish a working relationship, and officials from both campaigns would likely be told to reach out to the FBI if they sensed anything suspicious, Campbell added.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/31/polit...ngs/index.html

You are so dishonest, CNN! Trump said informed by the FBI about the infiltrators they knew about. You're referring to the general "intel" briefings prepared by the DNI. That's not what Trump is referring to. He's referring to the specific Russian spies you claim tried to infiltrate the Trump Campaign.

Here's the article about the general classified briefings given to both candidates, the same report given to both:

Classified Intelligence Briefings for Presidential Candidates: Questions Answered

By JUSTIN FISHEL

Aug 5, 2016, 3:34 PM ET

Both presidential candidates are now eligible to receive classified intelligence briefings. Unlike past elections, this has become a subject of intense scrutiny, since both political opponents are raising questions about the other candidates' ability to handle such information. So here are the answers to some basic questions about how this process works:

When do the briefings begin and how many do they get?

The candidates are eligible for briefings but so far none have occurred. They will both receive an initial briefing from the office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and either candidate can ask for a follow-up briefing on any topic. The DNI will decide if they want to provide that follow up and, if it is granted, the briefing will be offered to both candidates, no matter who requested it. In the past, candidates have received no more than three briefings. This election season, the candidates are expected to have two or three. The briefings become much more frequent and detailed once a candidate becomes the president-elect.

What are the topics of the briefings?

The briefings are broad in scope and closely resemble the DNI’s "Worldwide Threat Assessment" report delivered to the Senate annually. The same briefing is prepared for both candidates.

Do the candidates need security clearance?

The candidates don’t need a security clearance. But, any aides they bring do need one. Obtaining clearances for those people is usually the biggest logistical hurdle. Once clearances are complete, scheduling a briefing becomes easier.

Where are the briefings held?

They can be done anywhere in the U.S where there is a secure facility, such as an FBI field office.

Do the briefings include top secret information?

These briefings do not include the nation’s most sensitive information. Some top secret information could be discussed, but the most sensitive information, such as sources and methods and operations are not included. The DNI says candidates are advised of the classified nature of the material and operational and policy matters are not addressed.

Is the White House going to hold anything back over Trump concerns?

They say they won’t. White House spokesman Josh Earnest had a lot to say about this last week after some Democrats expressed concerns about sharing secrets with Trump. Earnest said the White House staff are already working on the transition.

"For more than 60 years now, the intelligence community has offered briefings to the presidential nominees of the two major political parties in an effort to facilitate a smooth transition," Earnest said. "So the Director of National Intelligence has indicated he intends to conduct those briefings pursuant to that longstanding tradition and he certainly is supported by this administration and this White House in doing so. What’s also true of the intelligence community is they understand what steps are necessary to protect sensitive national security information. And the administration is confident that they can both provide relevant and sufficient briefings to the two major party presidential candidates, while also protecting sensitive national security information."

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/clas...ry?id=41145433

This has absolutely nothing to do with the FBI and all their shenanigans with Carter Page, George Papadopolus, Christopher Steele, Fusion GPS, Stefan Halper, etc.

CNN LIES!!!

GRRRR!!!!!