Former Brennan, Clapper Defend 2017 Russian Collusion Intel Amid Declassified Criticism

Former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper published an op-ed in The New York Times attempting to defend their roles in the 2016 Russia collusion investigation amid recent declassified documents exposing their involvement in promoting the false Trump-Russia collusion narrative. Their defense relied heavily on citing the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), which claimed Vladimir Putin favored Donald Trump and ran interference efforts, despite evidence that the ICA was politically influenced, built on cherry-picked intelligence, and propped up by the discredited Steele dossier. Critics, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard through document releases, have shown there was no credible intelligence supporting the claim that Russia wanted Trump to win, and that Brennan and Clapper pressured analysts to adopt these conclusions. The op-ed was widely criticized as dishonest and an attempt to mislead the public, with commentators highlighting that Brennan and Clapper ignored whistleblower accounts and evidence of political manipulation. Their claims about the Steele dossier's role and the integrity of the ICA were refuted by independent analyses and recent disclosures, revealing that these assessments were part of a coordinated effort to manufacture the collusion narrative. The unfolding revelations have intensified calls for accountability, though skepticism remains about whether high-level officials will face consequences.