Director of National Intelligence James Clapper spoke with President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday to express his “profound dismay at the leaks that have been appearing in the press.”
BuzzFeed published Tuesday an unverified dossier allegedly compiled by a former British spy. This came after a report by CNN citing U.S. officials that said President-elect Trump and President Barack Obama had been presented a summary of the dossier by top intelligence officials.
“Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to ‘leak’ into the public. One last shot at me.Are we living in Nazi Germany?” Trump tweeted about the reports. Clapper said that in his conversation with Trump they agreed that the leaks to the press are “extremely corrosive and damaging to our national security.”
“We also discussed the private security company document, which was widely circulated in recent months among the media, members of Congress and Congressional staff even before the [intelligence community] became aware of it,” Clapper said in the statement. “I emphasized that this document is not a U.S. Intelligence Community product and that I do not believe the leaks came from within the [intelligence community].” (RELATED: BuzzFeed Just Published Unverified Claims About Trump And Russian Hookers)
The intelligence chief went on to say that the intelligence community has not made any judgement on whether the dossier has reliable information. Clapper added, “However, part of our obligation is to ensure that policymakers are provided with the fullest possible picture of any matters that might affect national security.”
NBC reported Wednesday that the summary of the dossier was included in the intelligence report on Russian interference in order to highlight the difference between unverified intelligence and “analyzed intelligence.”
President-elect Trump has attacked the intelligence community in recent weeks, and Clapper said in his statement that Trump “affirmed his appreciation for all the men and women serving in the Intelligence Community” during the conversation. The intelligence chief added, “I assured him that the IC stands ready to serve his Administration and the American people.”
