CIA’s Ratcliffe Hints There Could Be Serious Charges Coming for Clinton, Comey
CIA Director John Ratcliffe cautioned on Sunday that the most serious repercussions may still be forthcoming for Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, and others implicated in promoting the discredited Trump-Russia collusion narrative during the 2016 election.
In a segment on Fox News, Ratcliffe informed host Maria Bartiromo that he has submitted additional criminal referrals—supplementing those previously issued by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, which includes one concerning former President Barack Obama. [see video below]
“What I believe I hear you indicating is that there remains a possibility for potential indictments, potential prosecutions, and accountability for those individuals who may have provided false testimony under oath,” Bartiromo proposed as she attempted to draw out names from Ratcliffe regarding who he considers to be criminally liable.
“That is the reason I have made the referrals I have, DNI Gabbard has made referrals, and we will continue to disseminate the intelligence that would enable our Department of Justice to… pursue fair and just claims against those who have perpetrated this hoax against the American people and this blemish on our nation,” he stated on Sunday.
Ratcliffe’s referral signifies at least the third potential investigation linked to newly discovered documents from the federal government’s extensive “Crossfire Hurricane” inquiry into claims that Donald Trump conspired with Russia during the 2016 election. This follows criminal referrals submitted last month by Gabbard and occurs as a task force composed of senior U.S. intelligence officials deliberates possible charges against Clinton, Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
The documents that are the focus of the renewed examination were obtained from a classified annex that was uncovered last month. They reportedly suggest that Clinton personally sanctioned efforts to associate Trump with Russia—despite the absence of definitive evidence—by leveraging the credibility of U.S. intelligence sources.
As per the annex, Special Counsel John Durham concluded that Russian hackers had infiltrated email servers belonging to the Open Society Foundations, an organization linked to George Soros and also mentioned in the Trump-Russia narrative.
A 2016 email from Leonard Benardo, who was the foundation’s Eurasia regional director at the time, purportedly indicates that Clinton provided direct authorization for the organization to disseminate the baseless allegations against Trump.