Former CIA Director John Brennan was interviewed for eight hours by U.S. Attorney John Durham on Friday as part of Durham’s ongoing review of the origins of the investigation launched into Russia’s 2016 election interference, according to a statement released by the spokesman. of Brennan.
During the interview, which took place at CIA headquarters, Brennan was informed by Durham that he was “not the subject of a criminal investigation,” and was questioned as a “witness to the events being investigated,” Nick Shapiro, who previously served as Brennan’s senior adviser, said.
Brennan welcomes the opportunity to answer Mr Durham’s questions regarding a wide range of intelligence-related activities undertaken by the CIA ahead of the November 2016 presidential election, as well as the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) published in early January 2017, said Shapiro. “Brennan gave details about the efforts made by the Intelligence Community to take the actions that Russia took to interest in the 2016 presidential election.”
Durham, the U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, was commissioned a year ago by Attorney General Bill Barr to lead an investigation into the FBI’s probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. Durham is part of his investigation. also announced that he is examining the analytical assessments of the intelligence community of Moscow’s intentions, including those made public in the 2017 document outlining the conclusions of various U.S. agencies.
This has caused concern among current and former intelligence officials who say the process by which intelligence analysts come to their judgments should not be subject to a legislative standard.
The 2017 ICA was scrutinized in the course of Special Attorney Robert Mueller’s investigation and was examined in detail by the House First Committee, which, on a bipartisan basis, found it to be an “audio information product. ”
Shapiro said Brennan “doubted why the ICA’s analytical trading and findings were being investigated” during Friday’s interview, although he otherwise praised Durham and his team for their professionalism.
Durham, who has previously served several times as a special investigator for the Department of Justice, has kept much of his review out of the public eye – although a December statement that he is releasing contradicts a finding by the Inspector General of ‘ the Justice Department raises questions about his impartiality.
Democrats have since sounded the alarm that Durham’s work could be used by Barr to undermine the work of the intelligence community and the FBI investigation, which President Trump continues to criticize and dismiss as a “witch hunt.”
Mr. Trump and Brennan, who led the CIA during the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017, have also been engaged in a public and intense personal feud. The president has accused Brennan of irregularly monitoring his campaign and sought to withdraw his security delay in 2018. Brennan has been a vocal critic of Mr. Trump, accusing him of corruption and abuse of office.
Durham’s review has so far resulted in one criminal case. Earlier this week, former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith pleaded guilty to falsifying a document used to oversee former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. In recent congressional testimony, Barr did not rule out releasing more of Durham’s findings ahead of the November election.
In his statement, Shapiro said Brennan’s fervent hope was that the results of Durham’s review would be “apolitical and not influenced by personal or partisan agendas.”
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