Veteran Journalist Carl Bernstein: Intel Chiefs Presented Trump With Claims Of Russian Efforts To Compromise Him

CNN Report States Possible “Exchange Of Information” Between Russians And Trump Surrogates

CNN reported that US intelligence chiefs presented President-elect Donald Trump and President Obama with documents that claim Russian operatives believe they have “compromising personal and financial information” about Trump. The report also included allegations that a “continuing exchange of information” occurred “between Trump surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government” during the 2016 presidential campaign. Veteran investigative journalist Carl Bernstein reported that FBI officials are currently “investigating the credibility and accuracy of these allegations.” From the January 10 edition of CNN’s The Situation Room:

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CARL BERNSTEIN: It came from a former British MI-6 intelligence agent who was hired by a political research -- opposition research -- firm in Washington who was doing work about Donald Trump for both Republican and Democratic candidates opposed to Trump. They were looking at Trump's business ties. They saw some questionable things about Russians, about his businesses in Russia. They, in turn, hired this MI-6 former investigator. He then came up with additional information from his Russian sources. He was very concerned by the implications of it. He then took it to an FBI colleague that he had known in his undercover work for years. He took it to this FBI man in Rome who turned it over to the bureau in Washington in August. And then a former British ambassador to Russia, independently, was made aware of these findings and he took the information to John McCain, Senator John McCain of Arizona, in the period just after the election, and showed it to McCain -- additional findings. McCain was sufficiently disturbed by what he read, to take it to FBI Director James Comey himself personally. They had a five-minute meeting. The two men, very little was said. McCain turned it over to him and is now awaiting what the FBI’s response is to that information. ​