The move met harsh criticism from the Democrats, with US Speaker of the Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff denouncing the…
The director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, sent a letter to the House and the Senate, notifying that his office will no longer provide full in-person briefings on possible foreign interference in the upcoming presidential election. Instead, the office will switch to « written finished intelligence products » over concerns of information leaks. The change comes as the office is concerned about « unauthorized disclosures of sensitive information following recent briefings », according to an ODNI official, cited by Fox News. Ratcliffe outlined that the switch to written briefs will fit 17 statutory requirements laid out in the National Defense Authorization Act for this fiscal year. This comes amid an escalation of allegations that there is a threat of « foreign interference » in the upcoming US presidential election. Earlier in August, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, William Evanina, rolled out an « Election Threat Update for the American Public », claiming that three countries – Russia, China and Iran – are seeking to meddle with the electoral process. President Donald Trump, commenting on the changes, said they were made so to prevent leaks.White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, according to the pool reports, echoed Trump’s remarks, asserting that Senate intel members « disclosed information they shouldn’t have disclosed » when talking to the press.
