FBI says DNC refused direct access to its hacked servers, inhibiting its investigation

The “he said, she said” allegations being exchanged by the FBI and the Democratic National Committee continued Thursday, with the FBI insisting that the DNC would not allow direct access to its hacked servers, leaving the FBI to rely on a forensic analysis performed by a third party.

BuzzFeed reported Wednesday that the DNC said the FBI “never requested access” to its servers and thus had never examined firsthand the computers that were allegedly penetrated by Russian hackers.

BIG/weird scoop: The FBI has never examined the DNC computer servers it says were hacked by Russia: https://t.co/QjHVl9CA69

— Ali Watkins (@AliWatkins) January 4, 2017

DNC: FBI never examined our hacked servers https://t.co/bI6e7zhLUq pic.twitter.com/6DkENiDmQT

— The Hill (@thehill) January 5, 2017

DNC deputy communications director Eric Walker told BuzzFeed in an email that the FBI never requested access to the DNC’s computer servers. Instead, the FBI relied on an analysis done by security firm CrowdStrike, which investigated the breach for the DNC.

NBC’s intelligence and national security reporter added this information to the mix.

Source close to the investigation says FBI didn't need the DNC servers because it already had the forensic data from upstream collection.

— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) January 5, 2017

On Thursday, however, BuzzFeed’s Ali Watkins tweeted that the FBI claimed that it had requested direct access to the DNC’s servers, but the DNC refused, leaving the FBI no choice but to rely on third-party analysis.

LATEST: FBI says they asked DNC for servers, and DNC refused, "inhibited" the investigation. pic.twitter.com/AfkAPlJsYZ

— Ali Watkins (@AliWatkins) January 5, 2017

Watkins added that DNC “brushed off” Wednesday’s report in advance of the FBI’s statement with the caveat that having direct access to the servers wasn’t really “an important thing.” Seemingly in an effort to kill off the last of the DNC’s credibility, the DNC source added, “There are always haters out there.”

Hours before FBI latest, DNC brushed off our story from yesterday. "Insignificant" that FBI didn't access to servers https://t.co/QmAKzMg8HC pic.twitter.com/JGK263XBJq

— Ali Watkins (@AliWatkins) January 6, 2017

Now, Democrats seem more convinced than ever that FBI director James Comey, once a hero for recommending that Hillary Clinton not be indicted, really did try to derail her campaign in its final stretch. Either that, or the DNC really didn’t want whatever was on its servers exposed to the FBI.

https://twitter.com/AnthroGirl73/status/817184672815976448

https://twitter.com/AnObserver3/status/817160910238318592

https://twitter.com/NaimaHazelton/status/817148217401847808

Gee, it's almost as if the DNC felt it had something to hide.

— Bill Harvey's Ghost (@TheGhostsGhost) January 5, 2017

DNC has its story. FBI would learn the _truth_. Is it any wonder lib/Dems aren't cooperating?

— Christopher G. Adamo (@CGAdamo) January 6, 2017

They won't turn the server or the data over because it will contradict all the BS coming out of the DNC.

— ? Special Agent Fox "SPOOKY" Mulder ? (@Fox_Mulder_8) January 5, 2017

Wonder what else DNC had to hide? No reason not to allow FBI access to the servers. Wikileaks tip of the iceberg of corruption.

— ? heysailor! (@heysailor53) January 6, 2017

So where does Putin fit in to all of this?

Russians made them refuse.

— Michael (@MDSICT) January 5, 2017

@JordanChariton Russia made the DNC rebuff the FBI

— Bookie Stompers (@BookieStompers) January 6, 2017

it would make sense for DNC to block this if the DNC knew that the hack was an inside job & not the result of Russian hacking.

— Pax Trumpiana (@CincinnatusPax) January 5, 2017