February 13, 2018
By Ellen Nakashima and Shane Harris
FBI Director Christopher A. Wray (click here) on Tuesday contradicted the White House’s account of when the bureau informed officials about the status of a senior aide’s security-clearance investigation.
White House officials said that they were first contacted in the summer by the FBI about senior aide Rob Porter’s clearance. They also said that the investigation was never completed and that they did not know the extent of the allegations against Porter. He stepped down last week after accusations of spousal abuse by his two ex-wives.
But Wray, testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the FBI submitted a partial report on his clearance in March (2017) and that the investigation was completed in July. Soon after, he said, the FBI received a request for a follow-up, which the bureau completed and provided in November. The FBI closed the file in January and then earlier this month, Wray said, the bureau received additional information and “we passed that on as well.”...
Everyone knows the recent information coming into the White House today is about the domestic abuse that was made aware to the public. There is no classified information coming into the White House. Sarah Sanders is propagandizing the idea there is new information coming into the White House. The FBI would not lie to the public, the congressional committees and while the FBI completed their investigation in July, obviously the Executive Branch does not believe the intelligence gathered.
Only now when the truth is placed on Social Media is the Executive Branch receiving 'new information." I think this is a methodology of the current administration. They don't want to receive information from the FBI that is valuable. Trump didn't take intelligence information seriously when he was a candidate. I think the dismissive culture still exists and this is case in point. The Trump White House puts their own priorities first and if it means maligning the intelligence agencies, then so be it. Sanders statements today validates that point of view.
