Fox News is reporting the FBI agent who delivered a briefing on election interference to the Trump campaign in August 2016 allegedly used it as a “cover” to monitor Donald Trump and Michael Flynn.
The news outlet reported the document it obtained was declassified by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and transmitted to Capitol Hill — and that it reflects notes by FBI agent Joe Pientka after an Aug. 17, 2016 briefing to then-candidate Trump, Flynn and Chris Christie.
Fox News, citing an unnamed source, reported on Thursday that the briefing was used as “a cover to listen for any remarks” by Trump or others about the Russian federation.
According to Fox News, a senior administration official said Thursday the newly declassifed document "shows the same cast of virulent characters that spearheaded the Russia hoax, set Trump up from jump."
The official specifically called out Kevin Clinesmith and Peter Strzok — and called the meeting “a scam briefing from a scam crew of miscreants at the FBI,” Fox News reported.
Clinesmith and Strzok "approved" Pientka's notes, Fox News reported.
Fox News reported that during the briefing, Trump asked Pientka: “Joe, are the Russians bad? Because they have more numbers are they worse than the Chinese?" Fox News reported.
Pientka, according to the notes, responded by saying: “Both countries are bad.”
The source told Fox News it was Pientka’s duty to “warn and tell the candidate what they needed to watch out for,” but that he did not implicitly warn the “Russians were targeting the campaign.”
"During the ODNI briefs, writer actively listened for topics or questions regarding the Russian Federation," Pientka wrote in his notes, according to Fox News.
Fox News reported that according to the notes, the briefer said the United States "is the world leader in Counterterrorism."
"Trump then asked, 'Russia too?'" Pientka wrote, Fox News reported. "During a discussion regarding nuclear testing, Russia and and China were brought up as cheating on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Trump asked, 'Who's worse?' [REDACTED] stated 'they are both bad, but Russia is worse,’” Fox News reported.
The notes added: "Trump and Christie turned toward each other and Christie commented, 'I'm shocked.'"
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz last year found that Clinesmith altered an email to say that former Trump campaign aide Carter Page had not been a CIA source, when in fact he had been working with them. This ultimately led to the FBI renewing a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant against Page while leaving exculpatory evidence out of their application.
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