Obama Officials Admitted They Had No 'empirical Evidence' Of Trump-russia Collusion: House Intel Transcripts

Obama-era intelligence officials acknowledged that they had nary "empirical evidence" of a conspiracy betwixt nan Trump run and Russia successful nan 2016 election, but continued to publically push nan "narrative" of collusion.

The House Intelligence Committee, successful 2017, conducted depositions of top Obama intelligence officials, including Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, nationalist information advisor Susan Rice and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, among others.

FLASHBACK: HOUSE INTEL TRANSCRIPTS SHOW TOP OBAMA OFFICIALS HAD NO 'EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE' OF TRUMP-RUSSIA COLLUSION

The officials’ responses successful nan transcripts of those interviews align pinch nan results of erstwhile Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation – which recovered nary grounds of criminal coordination betwixt nan Trump run and Russia successful 2016, while not reaching a determination connected obstruction of justice.

Their grounds has travel backmost into nan spotlight amid revelations that erstwhile CIA Director John Brennan and erstwhile FBI Director James Comey are nether criminal investigation for imaginable wrongdoing related to nan Trump–Russia probe, including allegedly making mendacious statements to Congress, Justice Department sources exclusively told Fox News Digital.

The transcripts, from 2017 and 2018, revealed apical Obama officials were questioned by House Intelligence Committee lawmakers and investigators astir whether they had aliases had seen grounds of specified collusion, coordination aliases conspiracy – nan rumor that drove nan FBI's first lawsuit and later nan typical counsel probe.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and CIA Director John Brennan attest earlier nan Senate (Select) Intelligence Committee connected Capitol Hill Jan. 10, 2017. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

"I ne'er saw immoderate nonstop empirical grounds that nan Trump run aliases personification successful it was plotting/conspiring pinch nan Russians to meddle pinch nan election," Clapper testified successful 2017. "That’s not to opportunity that location weren’t concerns astir nan grounds we were seeing, anecdotal evidence.... But I do not callback immoderate lawsuit wherever I had nonstop evidence."

Lynch besides said she did "not callback that being briefed up to me."

"I can't opportunity that it existed aliases not," Lynch said, referring to grounds of collusion, conspiracy aliases coordination.

But Clapper and Lynch, and Vice President Joe Biden, were coming successful nan Oval Office connected July 28, 2016, erstwhile Brennan briefed Obama and Comey connected intelligence he’d received from 1 of Hillary Clinton's run overseas argumentation advisors "to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a ungraded claiming interference by nan Russian information service." 

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"We’re getting further penetration into Russian activities from (REDACTED)," Brennan’s handwritten notes, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital successful October 2020, read. "CITE (summarizing) alleged approved by Hillary Clinton a connection from 1 of her overseas argumentation advisers to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a ungraded claiming interference by nan Russian information service."

President Barack Obama, Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI Director James Comey meet successful nan Oval Office of nan White House connected July 19, 2016. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/The Associated Press)

After that briefing, nan CIA decently forwarded that accusation done a Counterintelligence Operational Lead (CIOL) to Comey and then-Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok, pinch nan taxable line: "Crossfire Hurricane."

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained and reported connected nan CIOL successful October 2020, which stated: "The pursuing accusation is provided for nan exclusive usage of your bureau for inheritance investigative action aliases lead purposes arsenic appropriate."

"Per FBI verbal request, CIA provides nan beneath examples of accusation nan CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion compartment has gleaned to date," nan memo continued. "An speech (REDACTED) discussing US statesmanlike campaigner Hillary Clinton’s support of a scheme concerning US statesmanlike campaigner Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections arsenic a intends of distracting nan nationalist from her usage of a backstage email server."

Obama nationalist information advisor Susan Rice was asked successful an question and reply pinch nan House Intelligence Committee whether she had aliases saw immoderate grounds of collusion aliases conspiracy. (Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The FBI did not unfastened an investigation into nan matter, and instead, continued pinch its counterintelligence investigation into whether campaigner Trump and members of his run were colluding aliases coordinating pinch Russia to power nan 2016 campaign. 

Days aft nan Brennan gathering to little Obama, Biden, Comey, Clapper and Lynch connected July 31, 2016, nan FBI opened nan original Trump–Russia investigation, which was referred to wrong nan bureau arsenic "Crossfire Hurricane."

Meanwhile, erstwhile U.S. Ambassador to nan United Nations Samantha Power, according to nan transcript of her question and reply to nan House Intelligence Committee, was asked whether she had aliases saw immoderate grounds of collusion aliases conspiracy.

Power replied: "I americium not successful possession of thing – I americium not successful possession and didn’t publication aliases sorb accusation that came from retired of nan intelligence community."

When asked again, she said: "I americium not."

Obama nationalist information advisor Susan Rice was asked nan aforesaid question.

Former CIA Director John Brennan, left, and erstwhile FBI Director James Comey (Getty; Reuters)

"To nan champion of my recollection, location wasn’t thing smoking, but location were immoderate things that gave maine pause," she said, according to her transcribed interview, successful consequence to whether she had immoderate grounds of conspiracy. "I don’t callback intelligence that I would see grounds to that effect that I saw… conspiracy anterior to my departure."

When asked whether she had immoderate grounds of "coordination," Rice replied: "I don’t callback immoderate intelligence aliases grounds to that effect."

When asked astir collusion, Rice replied: "Same answer."

Former lawman nationalist information advisor Ben Rhodes was asked nan aforesaid mobility during his House Intelligence interview.

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"I wouldn’t person received immoderate accusation connected immoderate criminal aliases counterintelligence investigations into what nan Trump run was doing, truthful I would not person seen that information," Rhodes said.

When pressed again, he said: "I saw indications of imaginable coordination, but I did not see, you know, nan circumstantial grounds of nan actions of nan Trump campaign."

Meanwhile, erstwhile FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was not asked that circumstantial question but alternatively questions astir nan accuracy and legitimacy of nan unverified anti-Trump dossier compiled by ex-British intelligence serviceman Christopher Steele.

McCabe was asked during his question and reply successful 2017 what was nan astir "damning aliases important portion of grounds successful nan dossier that" he "now knows is true."

McCabe replied: "We person not been capable to beryllium nan accuracy of each nan information."

"You don’t cognize if it’s existent aliases not?" a House interrogator asked, to which McCabe replied: "That’s correct."

‘Narrative consistency’ 

After Trump’s 2016 triumph and during nan statesmanlike modulation period, Comey briefed Trump connected nan now-infamous anti-Trump dossier, containing salacious allegations of purported coordination betwixt Trump and nan Russian government. Brennan was coming for that briefing, which took spot astatine Trump Tower successful New York City successful January 2017.

The dossier was authored by Steele. It was funded by Clinton’s statesmanlike run and nan Democratic National Committee done nan rule patient Perkins Coie.

But Brennan and Comey knew of intelligence suggesting Clinton, during nan campaign, was stirring up a scheme to necktie Trump to Russia, documents claim. It is unclear whether nan intelligence community, astatine nan time, knew that nan dossier was paid for by Clinton and nan DNC.

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But nan mendacious statements information of nan caller investigation into Brennan and Comey stems from a recently declassified email to Brennan from nan erstwhile lawman CIA head successful December 2016, which said that including nan dossier successful nan ICA successful immoderate capacity jeopardized "the credibility of nan full paper." 

Democratic statesmanlike nominee Hillary Clinton debates Republican statesmanlike nominee Donald Trump astatine Washington University connected October 2016 successful St Louis. (Rick Wilking-Pool/Getty Images)

"Despite these objections, Brennan showed a penchant for communicative consistency complete analytical soundness," nan caller CIA reappraisal stated. "When confronted pinch circumstantial flaws successful nan Dossier by nan 2 ngo halfway leaders – 1 pinch extended operational acquisition and nan different pinch a beardown analytic inheritance – he appeared much swayed by nan Dossier's wide conformity pinch existing theories than by morganatic tradecraft concerns."

The reappraisal added: "Brennan yet formalized his position successful writing, stating that ‘my bottomline is that I judge that nan accusation warrants inclusion successful nan report.’"

But Brennan testified nan other earlier nan House Judiciary Committee successful May 2023.

"The CIA was very overmuch opposed to having immoderate reference aliases inclusion of nan Steele dossier successful nan Intelligence Community Assessment," Brennan testified earlier nan committee, according to nan transcript of his deposition reviewed by Fox News Digital. "And truthful they sent complete a transcript of nan dossier to opportunity that this was going to beryllium abstracted from nan remainder of that assessment."

CIA officials astatine nan clip of its creation pushed backmost against nan FBI, which sought to see nan dossier, arguing that nan dossier should not beryllium included successful nan assessment, and casting it arsenic simply "internet rumor." 

Ultimately, Steele’s reporting was not included successful nan assemblage of nan last ICA prepared for then-President Barack Obama, but alternatively elaborate successful this footnote, "largely astatine nan insistence of FBI’s elder leadership," according to a reappraisal by nan Justice Department inspector general, and later, nan Senate Intelligence Committee.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe during his Senate confirmation proceeding connected Jan. 15, 2025, successful Washington. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

But successful June 2020, Ratcliffe, while serving arsenic head of nationalist intelligence, declassified a footnote of nan 2017 ICA, which revealed that nan reporting of Trump dossier writer Steele only had "limited corroboration" regarding whether then-President-elect Trump "knowingly worked pinch Russian officials to bolster his chances of beating" Hillary Clinton and different claims.

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The footnote, besides known arsenic "Annex A" of nan 2017 ICA, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital successful June 2020, spanned little than 2 pages and elaborate reporting by Steele – a archive that helped serve as nan ground for arguable Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants obtained against erstwhile Trump run adjutant Carter Page.

The footnote made clear nan soul concerns officials had complete that document.

"An FBI root (Steele) utilizing some identified and unidentified subsources, volunteered highly politically delicate accusation from nan summertime to nan autumn of 2016 connected Russian power efforts aimed astatine nan US statesmanlike election," nan annex read. "We person only constricted corroboration of nan source’s reporting successful this lawsuit and did not usage it to scope nan analytic conclusions of nan CIA/FBI/NSA assessment."

"The root collected this accusation connected behalf of backstage clients and was not compensated for it by nan FBI," it continued.

But nan annex notes that Steele's reporting was "not developed by nan layered subsource network."

FBI Director Kash Patel declassified an FBI reporting archive containing nan allegations. (J. Scott Applewhite/The Associated Press)

"The FBI root caveated that, although akin to antecedently provided reporting successful position of content, nan root was incapable to vouch for nan further information's sourcing and accuracy," nan annex states. "Hence this accusation is not included successful this product."

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz besides reviewed nan inclusion of Steele’s reporting successful nan ICA during his reappraisal of alleged misconduct related to FISA.

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His report, released successful precocious 2019, recovered that location were "significant inaccuracies and omissions" successful FISA warrants for erstwhile Trump run adjutant Page. Those warrants relied heavy connected Steele’s reporting, contempt nan FBI not having had circumstantial accusation corroborating allegations against Page that were included successful Steele’s reporting.

Ratcliffe referred grounds of wrongdoing by Brennan to FBI Director Kash Patel for imaginable prosecution, DOJ sources told Fox News Digital.

The sources said nan referral was received and told Fox News Digital that a criminal investigation into Brennan was opened and is underway. DOJ sources declined to supply further details. It is unclear, astatine this point, if nan investigation spans beyond his alleged mendacious statements to Congress.

As for Comey, DOJ sources told Fox News Digital that an investigation into nan erstwhile head is underway, but could not stock specifications of what specifically is being probed.

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The afloat scope of nan criminal investigations into Brennan and Comey is unclear, but 2 sources described nan FBI's position of nan duo's interactions arsenic a "conspiracy," which could unfastened up a wide scope of imaginable prosecutorial options. 

The FBI and CIA declined to comment.

Neither Brennan nor Comey instantly responded to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment.