Exclusive: Trump, US Intelligence Chief Push To Declassify Document on Russia’s 2016 Election Role – Sources

U.S. President 👤Donald Trump and his intelligence chief have pushed for quick declassification of a document disputing the 2017 intelligence community finding that 🇷🇺Russia acted to help Trump get elected in 2016, three U.S. government officials familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

But their effort faces strong objections from inside the intelligence agencies, two officials said on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter. One reason for their opposition is the proximity of the Nov. 3 election.

An Oct. 15 letter written by Director of National Intelligence 👤John Ratcliffe to the inspector general for the intelligence community, reviewed by Reuters, confirmed he was seeking the declassification of the document at the request of Devin Nunes, the senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee.

“I have requested that the document undergo a formal declassification review in response to a request” from Nunes, Ratcliffe wrote, noting that Republicans on the committee first requested that it be declassified in December 2018 when they controlled the House.

A former U.S. intelligence official familiar with the issue said that the CIA and the National Security Agency – which monitors worldwide communications – were trying to stop Ratcliffe from releasing the document “because it would damage national security assets and jeopardize sources and methods.”

Ratcliffe and others had been pushing to have the intelligence declassified by Thursday night, one of the officials said. If successful, that would allow its release around the time that Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden square off in their final debate.