A new review of the CIA, led by John Ratcliffe, has shed new light on the controversial investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, also known as Russiagate 2016.
John Ratcliffe is an American politician and lawyer who has been the ninth director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) since 2025. He was previously the Director of National Intelligence (2020-2021) and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2015 to 2020.
The report, published on July 2, 2025, claims that the original 2016 intelligence report, called the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), was manipulated by high-ranking officials in the Obama administration to discredit then-candidate Donald Trump.
According to Ratcliffe, quoted by RT and the New York Post, the investigation was marred by several procedural errors and was politically motivated. The report specifically accuses former CIA Director John Brennan and FBI Director James Comey of pushing for the inclusion of the controversial Steele dossier, a collection of unconfirmed allegations about Trump’s ties to Russia, in the official assessment.
This dossier, compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, has since been dismissed as unreliable by several sources.
The Russiagate 2016 investigation, which led to a special investigation led by Robert Mueller, dominated the first two years of Trump’s first term and was described by Ratcliffe as a ‘conspiracy’ that “ate up” much of Trump’s presidency.
Donald Trump himself has long claimed that the investigation was a politically motivated “witch hunt” to undermine his presidency, a position supported by Ratcliffe’s review.
CIA states:
”Therefore, the rushed timeline to publish both classified and unclassified versions before the presidential transition raised questions about a potential political motive behind the White House tasking and timeline.”
At the same time, other sources, such as NBC News and Reuters, report that the CIA review does not question the conclusion that Russia conducted an information warfare campaign to strengthen Trump’s chances and damage Hillary Clinton’s candidacy.
Related (in Swedish): Mueller report concludes: Trump not illegally involved in the 2016 US election
However, the review criticises the process behind the report, including shortcomings in how intelligence information was handled and analysed.
This new report has sparked strong reactions. Discussions have flared up on social media, with some seeing the review as proof that the intelligence services were politicised during the Obama administration.
Hollywood director Oliver Stone, who has previously criticised Russiagate 2016 as propaganda, has also been referenced in this context for supporting Trump’s criticism of the FBI and CIA.
Sources: CIA, RT, New York Post, NBC News, Reuters