Democrat and GOP leaders get classified briefings on Russia probe
WASHINGTON — Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Thursday huddled in classified briefings about the origins of the FBI investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election, a highly unusual series of meetings prompted by partisan allegations that the bureau spied on the Trump campaign.
The extraordinary closed-door sessions were sought by President Donald Trump’s allies and arranged by the White House, as the president has ramped up efforts to sow suspicions about the legitimacy of the FBI investigation that spawned a special counsel probe. Republican lawmakers have suggested the secret information would confirm unproved allegations the bureau acted improperly when it launched the investigation into ties between
Russia and Trump’s campaign.
Initially offered only to Republicans, the briefings were the latest piece of stagecraft meant to publicize and bolster such claims. But they also highlighted the degree to which the president and his allies have used the levers of the federal government — in this case, intelligence agencies — to
aide in Trump’s personal and political defense.
Under direct pressure from the president, Justice Department officials agreed to grant Republicans’ request for the briefing, and only later opened a second briefing to a bipartisan group. The invite list evolved up until hours before the meeting — a reflection of the partisan distrust and the political
wrangling. A White House lawyer, Emmet Flood, and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly showed up for both briefings, although the White House had earlier said it would keep a distance.
The White House officials didn’t attend the full briefings, the White House said Thursday in a statement, but instead delivered brief remarks communicating the “president’s desire for as much openness as possible under the law” and relaying “the president’s understanding of the need to protect human intelligence services and the importance of communication between the branches of government.”
It was unclear how much information was revealed to lawmakers. House Speaker Paul Ryan, who attended the first briefing, said he wouldn’t discuss what was said. The House Intelligence Committee’s top Democrat, Adam Schiff, also would not comment.