Last Updated Jan 10, 2017 10:32 PM EST
Multiple government and intelligence officials tell CBS News that an addendum to the classified intelligence report on Russia\u2019s efforts to interfere in the U. S. election contained unverified details of potentially compromising information that Russia has gathered on President-elect Donald Trump.
The officials tell CBS News that the information originally came from a former British intelligence officer and was eventually turned over to U. S. intelligence as well as other government officials last year.
U. S. intelligence is in the process of corroborating the details of what the Russians may have, but the officials tell CBS News that the former British investigator and his network is credible. Because this information is so sensitive, the addendum was not part of the classified report that was distributed to a wider group of people last week.
Former acting CIA director Michael Morell, who also advised Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaign, and former CIA Director and Ambassa…
A source tells CBS News it was part of the most classified report, that only would have been presented to the president, the president-elect and Gang of 8, which is made up of the top Democrat and Republican in the House and the Senate and the chair and ranking members of the House and Senate Intelligence committees.
It is unclear whether this was actually discussed with Mr. Trump or just part of the materials presented to him during his briefing last Friday.
Mr. Trump seemed to respond to the report on Twitter, calling it fake news and a total political witch hunt.
FAKE NEWS – A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!
Mr. Trump\u2019s attorney Michael Cohen disputed parts of an unverified copy of the report published by Buzzfeed, calling it, \u201ca fake news story.\u201d The Buzzfeed document claimed Cohen went to Prague to meet with Russian officials and that he is in a \u201ccovert relationship with Russia.\u201d
I have never been to Prague in my life. #fakenews pic.twitter.com\/CMil9Rha3D
\u201cThere is no truth to any of the statements in the reports,\u201d Cohen said to CBS News. \u201cI\u2019ve never been to Prague. In September, I was taking my son to meet with the USC coach. In July of 2016, I was in Capri with my wife for her birthday. I\u2019ve never been to Russia.\u201d
In a pre-tape with NBC\u2019s \u201cLate Night with Seth Meyers,\u201d Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway said that Mr. Trump says he was not briefed on the latest reports, which she called \u201cunsourced\u201d and \u201cnot confirmed.\u201d
\u201cIt says the FBI is trying to confirm it \u2013 so nothing has been confirmed,\u201d Conway said.
\u201cAnd, I have to say as an American citizen regardless of your party or if you don\u2019t like politics at all, which are many Americans, we should be concerned that intelligence officials leak to the press and won\u2019t go and tell the president-elect or the President of the United States himself now, Mr. Obama what the information is. They would rather go tell the press,\u201d Conway said.<\/p>\n

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