To translate: Obama wanted his top aides to be mindful of the fact that there was at least the possibility that someone (or someones) within the incoming Trump campaign had been compromised by the Russians when preparing and briefing the incoming administration on the geopolitical landscape. "In fact, Ambassador Rice briefed Michael Flynn for over 12 hours, on four separate occasions and led the National Security Council in preparing and delivering to him over 100 separate briefing memos. “JOE BIDEN IS GUILTY,” read the subject line of a recent Trump campaign fundraising email. Market data provided by Factset. Republicans have seized on the document as potential evidence that the outgoing president had ordered the FBI to spy on the new administration, as Trump has alleged. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Rice said it shows the Obama administration handled the Flynn situation appropriately. Biden made one of the requests. And John Durham, a U.S. attorney, is helming a Justice Department probe scrutinizing the investigation into Russian election interference and the Trump campaign. All rights reserved. The president even called on Graham to call Obama to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Click to subscribe! Before we get into the actual meat of the letter, let's remember some key context. Republicans have zeroed in on the Rice email amid heightened questions over the handling of the Russia probe and top-level awareness inside the Obama administration. Former FBI Director James Comey suggested to then-President Barack Obama in a January 2017 meeting that the National Security Council [NSC] might not want to pass "sensitive information related to Russia" to then-incoming National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, according to a newly declassified email that Flynn's predecessor sent herself on Inauguration Day. In each episode of his weekly YouTube show, Chris Cillizza will delve a little deeper into the surreal world of politics. (CNN)On Tuesday, acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell released a previously classified email sent by Obama administration national security adviser Susan Rice on January 20, 2017 -- detailing a meeting between the president, vice president, FBI Director James Comey and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates on January 5 of that year to discuss Michael Flynn. This would eventually lead to Flynn being interviewed, amid supposed concern he had violated the obscure and never-successfully-enforced Logan Act, and later pleading guilty to lying to investigators about his Kislyak talks. The email describes a Jan. 5, 2017, Oval Office meeting about Michael Flynn and Russian interference in the 2016 election. or redistributed. In her response this week to the Republicans' allegations, Rice has not explained … Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The email also appeared to reflect Obama's guidance on sharing sensitive information with both the Russians and the incoming Trump administration. It's not at all clear to me why any reasonable person would see any part of this Rice email as evidence of anything other than the Obama administration seeking to protect national security interests at an extremely touchy time between an election and an inauguration. In the declassified email, which Rice sent to herself on Jan. 20, 2017, she documented a Jan. 5 meeting she took part in with Obama, then-Vice President Biden, Comey and … Graham balked, voicing concerns about the implications of such a spectacle. ", "As for President Obama and Vice President Biden, whatever their level of involvement based on what I know, I don't expect Durham's work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man," Barr said. Rather than revealing some sort of rogue, extralegal spying by Obama and his top advisers, it shows a president going out of his way to ensure that all laws and rules are followed -- while also acknowledging that Flynn's dealing with the Russians meant that everyone involved needed to proceed very carefully. To the ObamaBots, Susan Rice’s “Dear Diary” e-mail to herself on Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day is no big deal. “Director Comey affirmed that he is proceeding ‘by the book’ as it relates to law enforcement,” Rice wrote. The document said all the requests were made by people authorized to do so, and were handled properly. ", BARR SAYS HE DOES NOT EXPECT CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF OBAMA OR BIDEN AS RESULT OF DURHAM PROBE. It's how responsible government operates. The attention on Obama administration discussions at the time has fueled a fiery war of words in Washington over the origins of the Russia case -- with President Trump describing it as "the greatest political crime in the history of our country. The email, which Rice sent the day of President Trump 's inauguration, describes a Jan. 5, 2017, Oval Office meeting between herself, former President … The roster featured top-ranking figures including Brennan, Biden, Comey, Clapper and Obama's then-chief of staff Denis McDonough. Fox News obtained a copy Tuesday from GOP Sen. Ron Johnson's office, which had sought access to the document. Rice's spokesperson said the email also indicates that the administration didn't interfere in the FBI investigation involving the Trump campaign. CNN's Marshall Cohen contributed to this report. Trump and his allies, meanwhile, pointed to the document as evidence to claim the Obama administration illegally spied on his campaign. BRENNAN SAYS HE'S WILLING TO BE INTERVIEWED BY DURHAM, SAYS HE HAS 'NOTHING TO HIDE'. Legal Statement. ©2020 FOX News Network, LLC. In fact, it proves the opposite of what Cruz, Trump and lots of other Republicans have been insisting for years was going on in the final days of the Obama administration. This was where the original version of the email was redacted -- containing information about Comey's response. ©2020 FOX News Network, LLC. And Obama expressly said that he was not directing the FBI -- or any other law enforcement agency -- to do anything regarding Flynn other than to follow existing procedures. "Wow. On the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, outgoing national security adviser Susan Rice sent herself an email that has since drawn intense scrutiny from … The interview indicated Obama was aware of Flynn’s intercepted December 2016 phone calls with Kislyak during the presidential transition period. Comey said he would. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeSingman. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Because he had just received a briefing from the intelligence community in which he was told that the Russians had worked to interfere in our election to help Trump and hurt Clinton! Yates recalled Comey mentioning the Logan Act, but can't recall if he specified there was an 'investigation.' You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Rice's office downplayed the significance of that email when it first surfaced in early 2018. The newly declassified portion describes Comey’s response. Russia probe files released as part of the Justice Department's move to drop its case against Flynn brought renewed focus on Rice's email in recent weeks. And Attorney General Bill Barr said he didn’t expect Durham’s probe to result in criminal charges against Obama or Biden. President Obama asked if Comey was saying that the NSC should not pass sensitive information related to Russia to Flynn. So, in hindsight, it seems as though the concerns voiced by Obama that they needed to be aware of the possible ties between Flynn and the Russians when briefing the incoming administration seem entirely justified. “We live in a very divided country right now, and I think that it is critical that we have an election where the American people are allowed to make a decision, a choice, between President Trump and Vice President Biden based on a robust debate of policy issues,” Barr said in a press call on an unrelated topic.

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