CIA Blows Lid Off Obama-Era Steele Dossier Intelligence

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A newly declassified CIA review has blown the lid off years of sworn denials from Obama-era intelligence officials, revealing the controversial Steele Dossier was in fact referenced in the main body of the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment — shaking the very foundations of trust in our intelligence agencies and exposing what many conservatives long suspected about the politicization of our justice system.

At a Glance

  • The CIA’s own internal review confirms the Steele Dossier was cited in the main body of the 2016 ICA, contrary to years of denials from Obama officials.
  • Obama-era intelligence leaders, including John Brennan and James Clapper, face renewed scrutiny — and possible perjury referrals — for misleading Congress and the public.
  • Analysts inside the CIA and other agencies objected to including the unverified dossier but were overruled by top brass and FBI leadership.
  • The controversy revives serious questions about the weaponization and politicization of our intelligence community for political ends.

CIA Review Contradicts Obama-Era Testimony

The CIA’s “lessons-learned” review, quietly released in June 2025, directly contradicts the sworn testimony and public statements of key Obama-era intelligence leaders. Former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and other top officials repeatedly told Congress and the American people that the Steele Dossier had little or nothing to do with the 2016 ICA on Russian election interference. The newly-revealed documents show otherwise: the dossier, a product of opposition research funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign, was indeed referenced in the main body of the assessment, not just in an appendix or footnote as previously claimed.

This revelation doesn’t just hint at carelessness — it shatters the credibility of those who presided over one of the most consequential intelligence assessments in modern American history. We now know that CIA and FBI analysts objected to including the unverified, politically sourced dossier. Yet their concerns fell on deaf ears as top leadership, apparently desperate to bolster a shaky case for Russian collusion, overruled them and forced the document into the ICA. For years, conservatives warned that Russiagate was about politics, not national security. Now, the CIA’s own files back that up.

Analysts Overruled, Political Pressure Exposed

The CIA review and related congressional investigations paint a disturbing picture of internal dissent crushed by political priorities. Analysts repeatedly raised alarms about the Steele Dossier’s lack of verification and its origins with the Clinton campaign and DNC. They warned that citing the dossier would undermine the analytical integrity of the entire assessment. But those objections were brushed aside. FBI leadership reportedly insisted the dossier’s inclusion was a precondition for their cooperation with the ICA — a move that flies in the face of intelligence professionalism and common sense.

Deputy CIA Director Michael Ellis pointed to declassified emails showing Brennan personally intervened to insert the dossier, overriding analysts who wanted no mention of it. The result: a supposedly impartial assessment of Russian interference tainted by uncorroborated, politically motivated material. The public, and especially the millions who supported President Trump, were told for years that claims of a “deep state” conspiracy were nothing but wild conspiracy theories. Today, the evidence says otherwise.

Congress Weighs Perjury Charges, Trust in Institutions Collapses

With these revelations, the House Judiciary Committee is considering criminal referrals for perjury against former Obama officials who misled Congress about the ICA and the Steele Dossier. This is not just about old political fights — it’s about accountability and the survival of trust in our government. For years, American citizens watched as unverified opposition research was laundered through the intelligence community, weaponized against a presidential campaign, and then used to justify endless investigations and media hysteria.

The damage is lasting. The intelligence community’s credibility has been shredded, public confidence in government institutions is at historic lows, and the wounds of politicized justice have not healed. The fact that this all traces back to a dossier bankrolled by the Clinton campaign — and injected into the heart of a supposedly neutral intelligence assessment — is proof of just how far the left was willing to go to attack its enemies and cling to power. While elites in Washington scramble to cover their tracks, everyday Americans are left to wonder if justice and truth mean anything at all in the halls of government.