Brennan: Russia may have successfully recruited Trump campaign aides
Source: Politico
By AUSTIN WRIGHT 05/23/2017 10:49 AM EDT Updated 05/23/2017 11:10 AM EDT
Former CIA Director John Brennan said on Tuesday that he had concerns that Russian officials may have successfully recruited aides from Donald Trump’s campaign to help in the Kremlin’s efforts to influence last year’s presidential election.
"I encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that revealed contacts and interactions between Russian officials and U.S. persons involved in the Trump campaign that I was concerned about because of known Russian efforts to suborn such individuals," he told lawmakers. "And it raised questions in my mind again whether or not the Russians were able to gain the cooperation of those individuals." By the time he stepped down as CIA director on Jan. 20, he added, “I had unresolved questions in my mind about whether or not the Russians had been successful in getting U.S. persons, involved in the campaign or not, to work on their behalf, again, either in a witting or unwitting fashion.”
“Therefore,” Brennan added, “I felt as though the FBI investigation was certainly well founded and needed to look into these issues.” Brennan’s remarks came in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, which is investigating Russia’s meddling in the presidential election, including allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow.
Asked by Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) if he saw any evidence of collusion during his time as CIA director, Brennan responded: “I was worried by a number of the contacts that the Russians had with U.S. persons.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/23/brennan-russia-tried-to-recruit-us-persons-to-influence-presidential-campaign-238719
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Former C.I.A. Chief Testifies About Concern Over Russia’s Ties to Trump Campaign
By EMMARIE HUETTEMAN and MATT APUZZOUPDATED 11:06 AM
John O. Brennan, the former C.I.A. director, said Tuesday that he became concerned last year that the Russian government was trying to influence members of the Trump campaign to act — wittingly or unwittingly — on Moscow’s behalf.
“I encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that revealed contacts and interactions between Russian officials and U.S. persons involved in the Trump campaign that I was concerned about because of known Russian efforts to suborn such individuals,” Mr. Brennan told lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee. “It raised questions in my mind about whether Russia was able to gain the cooperation of those individuals.”
He added, “I don’t know whether such collusion existed.” It was the first time he publicly acknowledged that he was concerned about possible ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.
He said he left office in January with many unanswered questions about the Russian influence operation. Intelligence officials have said that Russia tried to tip the election toward Mr. Trump.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/23/us/politics/congress-testimony-john-brennan-russia-budget.html?emc=edit_na_20170523&nl=breaking-news&nlid=57435284&ref=cta
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