DNI John Ratcliffe issues additional statement saying 'this is not Russian disinformation'; Richard Grenell steps in to school the media

By now you’ve heard that Hillary Clinton cooked up the scandal that President Trump was doing something shady with the Russians and that President Obama had been briefed on it personally by then-CIA Director John Brennan. The media is all over the story — really! — if only to say that Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe just sent out a bunch of Russian disinformation.

Rachel Maddow, who’s hosting Clinton tonight as part of MSNBC’s debate coverage, is already playing the “Russian disinformation” angle.

“Intel chief releases Russian disinfo on Hillary Clinton that was rejected by bipartisan Senate panel”

Secretary Clinton joins us live tonight before the debate: 8PM ET, MSNBC. https://t.co/euTW4Dppkh

— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) September 29, 2020

Politico is doing the same:

NEWS from @AndrewDesiderio: Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Intel Committee had previously rejected the information just declassified by DNI Ratcliffe, characterizing it as Russian disinformation.https://t.co/nSum0NjLCq

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) September 29, 2020

The thing is, after the letter to Senate Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham hit, Ratcliffe issued an additional statement saying, “To be clear, this is not Russian disinformation.”

New statement here from Ratcliffe saying this is *not* Russian disinformation. pic.twitter.com/2dBA0j7bNw

— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) September 29, 2020

New statement from Ratcliffe on unverified Russian intel: “To be clear, this is not Russian disinformation and has not been assessed as such by the Intelligence Community. I’ll be briefing Congress on the sensitive sources and methods by which it was obtained in the coming days.”

— Jeremy Herb (@jeremyherb) September 29, 2020

?Ratcliffe just declassified to Graham a claim that Russian intel alleged that Clinton “approved a campaign plan to stir up a scandal against [Trump] by tying him to Putin and the Russians' hacking of the DNC.”

…but says “the IC does not know the accuracy of this allegation.” pic.twitter.com/tpqGmhXUMY

— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) September 29, 2020

It’s reasonable to ask why Graham and Ratcliffe would even put this out there if, as Ratcliffe acknowledges, “the IC does not know the accuracy of this allegation or the extent to which the Russian intelligence analysis may reflect exaggeration or fabrication.”

— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) September 29, 2020

Most every leak you people have pushed over the last several years was UNVERIFIED.

You don’t understand the issues you report on. https://t.co/PNAA4YudAf

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) September 29, 2020

And here’s Grenell responding to The Daily Beast’s Sam Stein:

This is a fun one. The Clinton campaign was OPENLY saying at the time they felt the Russia and Trump were intertwined in the disinformation and hacking campaigns. https://t.co/50eIrDhl6I

— Sam Stein (@samstein) September 29, 2020

Sam either doesn’t understand the details of this revelation or is reflexively shilling for Democrats again.

This is more proof that intel agencies knew EARLY ON the Russians were on to Hillary & the fake Steele dossier. Hillary didn’t realize she was being used by Russia. https://t.co/GKEfiNmi1C

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) September 29, 2020

And that some in the US intel agencies did know it was Russian propaganda from the beginning – but intel bosses hid this fact by classifying the warnings so they wouldn’t be seen.

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) September 29, 2020

Reflexively shilling.

— Sandy Cucumber Eyes ? (@SandyCukes) September 29, 2020

Shilling for $200 Alex!

— Mom M (@MMangoz) September 29, 2020

I counter they understand yet choose to spin it. But just my $.02

— Dannhl (@dannhl) September 29, 2020

There are many volumes of things Sam Stein does not understand. Point to a word, he likely will not understand it. I'm convinced the left does not understand the meanings of words.

— NotListeningToThoseWhoAreAlwaysWrong (@Matthew71223482) September 29, 2020

Everyone knew it was garbage. Only our televisions screamed at us at night that it wasn’t. But we knew.

— My Constitution Tops UR Fear (@thomas_ryne) September 29, 2020

They just got done pushing the Russia bounty story but now they have a problem with supposedly unverified intelligence leaks.

— Patrick (@PMC713) September 29, 2020

Yet I'm still hearing about Russian paid bounties, which was nothing more than an unverified allegation, as though it is gospel.

— JoAnn Ives (@houseofjo) September 29, 2020

"But this is different…we're not the ones who put this one out"

— DonK3yHot (@DonK3yHoT) September 29, 2020

They are so corrupt.

— Lynn Brogan (@brogan_lynn) September 29, 2020

the wagons circle around HRC as expected.

WAY more is coming, and nothing they do can stop it.

— Trumpster (@Gettingtrump) September 29, 2020

“Hey this narrative has been disproven over and over and now the DNI says it was a disinformation campaign”

“Well…um…BUT TRUMP”

Probably the most serious undermining of a candidate/president ever. I have no desire to compromise if Biden wins. Ever. This is disgusting.

— Matt Burns (@MMBenNC) September 29, 2020

This is what "DENIAL" looks like. They've all built their careers on the fake Russia hoax and now they can't admit they were wrong because their credibility will be kaput.

— DigitalEphermia (@DigitalEphermia) September 29, 2020

@realDonaldTrump should create a new position…Deputy DNI, and unleash your “unmasking” of the traitors that have gotten away with crimes against our President and putting our country through hell!!!!!

— Paul Cataldo (@cataldopaul1908) September 29, 2020

That is an excellent idea.

Related:

Report: President Obama was briefed on Russia’s knowledge of Hillary Clinton’s plans to ‘cook up a scandal’ https://t.co/NCwTARutBB

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) September 29, 2020