The F.B.I. cut ties to at least a handful of informants and issued warnings about dozens of others after an internal review prompted by concerns that they were linked to Russian disinformation, current and former U.S. officials said.
The review was carried out in 2020 and 2021 by a small group within the bureau’s counterintelligence division, with the findings then passed along to field offices, which handle informants.
It led to the severing of sources — some of whom had offered information about Russia-aligned oligarchs, political leaders and other influential figures — at a moment when the bureau was asking agents to produce more information from and about those same networks. The review was conducted during and after the 2020 election, when concerns about Russian meddling were running high, and at a time when the United States was closely monitoring whether Russia would invade Ukraine.
When are they going to shed informants linked to the Times’ false “Russian conspiracy” investigation of Trump? A disinformation operation if I ever saw one. Two years of investigations, and not a single indictment of a campaign official for conspiracy.
@LeftistYakDemocrat2wks2W
You aren’t talking about the Mueller investigation, are you? That one resulted in eight felony convictions against Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, who was later pardoned by Trump and is now planning to work for his campaign again.
Mueller’s team also revealed efforts by Russia’s Internet Research Agency to influence Americans’ votes by flooding social media with pro-Trump disinformation. Multiple indictments of Russians outstanding there.
Then, of course, there was Trump Tower Moscow, which Donald lied about while he was campaigning in 2016. Its existence was corroborated through email records and testimony obtained by, you guessed it, Mueller.
@L1b3rtyCaviarPatriot2wks2W
This is why Donald Trump never bothered to read most of his classified briefings or take their advice. Everyone knows that the Russians and liberal media read our intelligence to predict what the president will do. Putin recently said it himself, endorsing Biden in the election because he is more predictable.
People learned more about what Trump would do by reading his tweets. It was necessary for Trump to have the FBI purge double agents from the government in preparation for Biden's presidency.
@ChicD1rectSocialist2wks2W
This is why Donald Trump never bothered to read most of his classified briefings or take their advice. Everyone knows that the Russians and liberal media read our intelligence to predict what the president will do. Putin recently said it himself, endorsing Biden in the election because he is more predictable.
People learned more about what Trump would do by reading his tweets. It was necessary for Trump to have the FBI purge double agents from the government in preparation for Biden's presidency.
@JumpyLardDemocrat2wks2W
No doubt these were part of the sizable group of insiders at FBI who had a new investigation of Hillary every week in 2016. And comey played right along.
@AgileD1rectPatriot2wks2W
Putin spent decades influencing the GOP with propaganda and disinformation and where were our security services when this was happening? Now most of them favor Russia over their own country. If only they were antiwar the infiltration would be everywhere.
@P4ndaBrettVeteran2wks2W
Ok, do not disclose the names, but can you at least hint if they cut off the guy who kept telling us that Putin was terminally ill and will die any minute? He would be the first most logical candidate, considering how Putin keeps, you know, not dying. Or what about the guy who keeps saying that Putin is actually already dead and replaced by a body double? Is he still on a payroll? And finally how about all those sources telling us that Ukraine is winning and Russia is losing? Are we still sure that they are entirely reliable?
My guess would be the FBI thought they could use these Russian informants to damage President Trump.
After Biden got in the White House the informants were no longer needed or the FBI felt they could damage Biden.
Truly dirty business.
In January 2025 Director Wray will be out and the real investigations will begin. Comey, McCabe Clapper, Wray, Brennan, Strozk and many others will be charged with Conspiracy to Defraud the United States with their soft coup attempt against President Trump with the Russiagate Hoax.
The FBI may have "shed" some confidential informants but not soon enough. The entire Russia "collusion" investigation fed on Russian disinformation, some solicited for the Steele dossier from a suspected Russian asset, Igor Danchenko.
Another source was a Clinton-tied PR consultant who focused on promoting Russian interests, who was spreading salacious gossip, including the infamous "pee tape."
@TautBaboonPatriot2wks2W
When members of Congress parrot Russian propaganda and then their favorite 'news' sources pick up the phrases and run with them, everything the GOP says becomes suspect. I'm glad the FBI is trying to plug the Russian pipeline, but it's probably too late.
MAGA and Trump want to believe that Ukraine is assassinating priests. (In reality, Russia is doing that.) They want to believe Biden is corrupt and has a whole crime family thing going. (Again, the reality sits with Trump and his extended family.) They want to believe that Trump is being politically petsecuted.
You can't reason with irrational people. You can cut off the source of their information. Good for the FBI.
Putin spent decades influencing the GOP with propaganda and disinformation and where were our security services when this was happening? Now most of them favor Russia over their own country. If only they were antiwar the infiltration would be everywhere.
@GrizzledHeronPatriot2wks2W
When members of Congress parrot Russian propaganda and then their favorite 'news' sources pick up the phrases and run with them, everything the GOP says becomes suspect. I'm glad the FBI is trying to plug the Russian pipeline, but it's probably too late.
MAGA and Trump want to believe that Ukraine is assassinating priests. (In reality, Russia is doing that.) They want to believe Biden is corrupt and has a whole crime family thing going. (Again, the reality sits with Trump and his extended family.) They want to believe that Trump is being politically petsecuted.
You can't reason with irrational people. You can cut off the source of their information. Good for the FBI.
Why is the FBI dealing with foreign informants? Isn't that against the law that allows them to exist?
The CIA is supposed to deal with foreign intelligence on foreign soil, while the FBI deals with domestic aspects of the intelligence game. I realize it's a Venn diagram, but that's the way it is. Am I wrong about that?
@CurlewAlRepublican2wks2W
I would be suspicious of any Russian at this point. Russia has been consistent of their propaganda and misinformation campaign against the United States of America and against …democracy. Doesn’t take a genius to know that Russians work for Putin.
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
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