Latest news with #CriminalInvestigations
Fox News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Obama officials used dossier to probe, brief Trump despite knowing it was unverified 'internet rumor'
The discredited document at the center of the criminal investigations into former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey was used to open the original Trump–Russia probe in 2016 and used to brief then-President-elect Donald Trump, despite top Obama-era intelligence officials knowing it was filled with unverified "internet rumor." The "Steele dossier," as it's called, was authored by ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. It was funded by Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) through the law firm Perkins Coie. After Trump's 2016 victory and during the presidential transition period, Comey briefed Trump on the now-infamous anti-Trump dossier, containing salacious allegations of purported coordination between Trump and the Russian government. Brennan was present for that briefing, which took place at Trump Tower in New York City in January 2017. However, Brennan and Comey knew of intelligence suggesting Clinton, during the campaign, was stirring up a plan to tie Trump to Russia, documents claim. It is unclear whether the intelligence community, at the time, knew that the dossier was paid for by Clinton and the DNC. CIA Director John Ratcliffe, when he served as director of national intelligence under the first Trump administration, declassified Brennan's handwritten notes memorializing that meeting, which were exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital in October 2020. On July 28, 2016, Brennan briefed then-President Barack Obama on a plan from one of Clinton's campaign foreign policy advisors "to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service," the notes said. Comey, then-Vice President Joe Biden, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper were at the Brennan–Obama briefing. "We're getting additional insight into Russian activities from (REDACTED)," read Brennan's handwritten notes, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital in October 2020. "CITE (summarizing) alleged approved by Hillary Clinton a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisers to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service." After that briefing, the CIA properly forwarded that information through a Counterintelligence Operational Lead (CIOL) to Comey and then-Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok, with the subject line: "Crossfire Hurricane." Fox News Digital exclusively obtained and reported on the CIOL in October 2020, which stated, "The following information is provided for the exclusive use of your bureau for background investigative action or lead purposes as appropriate." "Per FBI verbal request, CIA provides the below examples of information the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion cell has gleaned to date," the memo continued. "An exchange (REDACTED) discussing US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's approval of a plan concerning US presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server." The FBI did not open an investigation into the matter, and instead, continued with its counterintelligence investigation into whether candidate Trump and members of his campaign were colluding or coordinating with Russia to influence the 2016 campaign. That investigation, which was opened July 31, 2016, was referred to inside the bureau as "Crossfire Hurricane." Brennan and Comey are now under criminal investigation for potential wrongdoing related to the Trump-Russia probe, including allegedly making false statements to Congress, Justice Department sources told Fox News Digital. Ratcliffe referred evidence of alleged wrongdoing by Brennan to FBI Director Kash Patel for potential prosecution, DOJ sources told Fox News Digital. The sources said that the referral was received and told Fox News Digital that a criminal investigation into Brennan was opened and is underway. DOJ sources declined to provide further details. It is unclear, at this point, if the investigation spans beyond his alleged false statements to Congress. As for Comey, DOJ sources told Fox News Digital that an investigation into the former director is underway but could not share details of what specifically is being probed. The full scope of the criminal investigations into Brennan and Comey is unclear, but two sources described the FBI's view of the duo's interactions as a "conspiracy," which could open up a wide range of potential prosecutorial options. The Brennan investigation comes after Ratcliffe recently declassified a "lessons learned" review of the creation of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). The 2017 ICA alleged Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential election to help then-candidate Trump. However, the review found that the process of the ICA's creation was rushed with "procedural anomalies," and that officials had diverted from intelligence standards. It also determined that the "decision by agency heads to include the Steele Dossier in the ICA ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment." The review marks the first time career CIA officials have acknowledged politicization of the process by which the ICA was written, particularly by Obama-era political appointees. Records declassified as part of that review further revealed that Brennan did, in fact, push for the dossier to be included in the 2017 ICA. Brennan testified to the House Judiciary Committee in May 2023, however, that he did not believe the dossier should be included in that intelligence product. Ratcliffe was not surprised by the review's findings, a source familiar told Fox News Digital, given the director's long history of criticizing Brennan's politicization of intelligence. However, Ratcliffe was compelled to refer aspects of Brennan's involvement to the FBI for review of possible criminality, the source said. The source was unable to share the sensitive details of Ratcliffe's criminal referral to the FBI with Fox News Digital but said that Brennan "violated the public's trust and should be held accountable for it." The false statements portion of the probe stems from a newly declassified email sent to Brennan by the former deputy CIA director in December 2016. That message said that including the dossier in the ICA in any capacity jeopardized "the credibility of the entire paper." "Despite these objections, Brennan showed a preference for narrative consistency over analytical soundness," the new CIA review states. "When confronted with specific flaws in the Dossier by the two mission center leaders – one with extensive operational experience and the other with a strong analytic background – he appeared more swayed by the Dossier's general conformity with existing theories than by legitimate tradecraft concerns." The review added, "Brennan ultimately formalized his position in writing, stating that 'my bottomline is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report.'" However, Brennan testified the opposite in front of Congress in May 2023. "The CIA was very much opposed to having any reference or inclusion of the Steele dossier in the Intelligence Community Assessment," Brennan testified before the House committee, according to the transcript of his deposition reviewed by Fox News Digital. "And so they sent over a copy of the dossier to say that this was going to be separate from the rest of that assessment." CIA officials at the time of its creation pushed back against the FBI, which sought to include the dossier, arguing that the dossier should not be included in the assessment, and casting it as simply "internet rumor." Ultimately, Steele's reporting was not included in the body of the final ICA prepared for then-President Obama, but instead detailed in this footnote, "largely at the insistence of FBI's senior leadership," according to a review by the Justice Department inspector general and later the Senate Intelligence Committee. However, back in June 2020, Ratcliffe, while serving as director of national intelligence, declassified a footnote from the 2017 ICA, which revealed that the reporting of Trump dossier author Steele had only "limited corroboration" regarding whether then-President-elect Trump "knowingly worked with Russian officials to bolster his chances of beating" Clinton and other claims. The footnote, also known as "Annex A" of the 2017 ICA, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital in June 2020, spanned less than two pages and detailed reporting by Steele. The footnote made clear the internal concerns officials had over that document. "An FBI source (Steele) using both identified and unidentified subsources, volunteered highly politically sensitive information from the summer to the fall of 2016 on Russian influence efforts aimed at the US presidential election," the annex read. "We have only limited corroboration of the source's reporting in this case and did not use it to reach the analytic conclusions of the CIA/FBI/NSA assessment." "The source collected this information on behalf of private clients and was not compensated for it by the FBI," it continued. However, the annex notes that Steele's reporting was "not developed by the layered subsource network." "The FBI source caveated that, although similar to previously provided reporting in terms of content, the source was unable to vouch for the additional information's sourcing and accuracy," the annex states. "Hence this information is not included in this product." Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz also reviewed the inclusion of Steele's reporting in the ICA during his review of alleged misconduct related to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Horowitz said that the unverified dossier helped serve as the basis for controversial FISA warrants obtained against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. His report, released in late 2019, found that there were "significant inaccuracies and omissions" in FISA warrants for Page. Those warrants relied heavily on Steele's reporting, despite the FBI not having had specific information corroborating allegations against Page that were included in Steele's reporting. Fox News Digital has learned that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ordered that information surrounding FISAs for Page will be reviewed and used by the FBI and Justice Department as part of their investigations. The FBI and CIA declined to comment. Neither Brennan nor Comey immediately responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Former special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to take over the FBI's original "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation. After nearly two years, Mueller's investigation, which concluded in March 2019, yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election. Shortly after, John Durham was appointed as special counsel to investigate the origins of the "Crossfire Hurricane" probe. Durham found that the FBI "failed to act" on a "clear warning sign" that the bureau was the "target" of a Clinton-led effort to "manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes" ahead of the 2016 presidential election. "The aforementioned facts reflect a rather startling and inexplicable failure to adequately consider and incorporate the Clinton Plan intelligence into the FBI's investigative decision-making in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation," Durham's report states. "The Office showed portions of the Clinton Plan intelligence to a number of individuals who were actively involved in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. Most advised they had never seen the intelligence before, and some expressed surprise and dismay upon learning of it," Durham's report states. "For example, the original Supervisory Special Agent on the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, Supervisory Special Agent-1, reviewed the intelligence during one of his interviews with the Office." Durham added, "After reading it, Supervisory Special Agent-I became visibly upset and emotional, left the interview room with his counsel, and subsequently returned to state emphatically that he had never been apprised ofthe Clinton Plan intelligence and had never seen the aforementioned Referral Memo."
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Charlottesville PD: 5 people shot, including children
Five people were shot the evening of July 4 in Charlottesville, police said. Shortly before 11:30 p.m., officers from the Charlottesville Police Department responded to a shooting report in the area of Orangedale Avenue, according to a press release. The first officers arrived at the scene within two minutes of being dispatched. Police found five people shot, including a 52-year-old woman, an 18-year-old woman, a 17-year-old boy, an 11-year-old boy, and a 10 year-old girl. Because of heavy foot and vehicle traffic, emergency medical units were initially unable to access the scene. Officers and medics worked together to take the victims on foot and in patrol vehicles, applying pressure to their wounds until additional rescue personnel arrived, the release said. The victims were stabilized. The CPD's Criminal Investigations Division and Forensics Unit responded and are investigating the shooting. Early evidence suggests multiple shooters were involved. Officers will be in the area on July 5 conducting a search for any additional evidence. More: Walking tall: Fishersville stilt performer showcases talent in July 4 parade More: Two people dead after early morning stabbing in Augusta County: Sheriff's Office Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@ You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter). This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Charlottesville PD: 5 people shot, including children
RNZ News
05-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Police seized work and personal phones of press secretary Michael Forbes while investigating complaints
Photo: LinkedIn/Michael Forbes Police say any new information regarding the Prime Minister's former deputy chief press secretary will be "thoroughly considered". Stuff reports that Michael Forbes, a former journalist, allegedly recorded audio of multiple sessions with Wellington sex workers, and amassed a gallery of women working out at the gym, shopping, and being filmed through a window getting ready to go out. Wellington District Manager Criminal Investigations Detective Inspector John Van Den Heuvel said in a statement to RNZ on Thursday evening that police received a report from the manager of a Wellington brothel on July 12 2024 , relating to audio recordings of sex workers. Police obtained a search warrant on July 13 to seize two phones for examination - one personal and one work device. "On examining the phones, Police also found a number of photos and video of women in public spaces, and what appears to be women in private addresses, taken from a distance away. "Police considered the available evidence and concluded it did not meet the requirements for criminality, and therefore charges could not be filed. "The individual concerned voluntarily spoke with Police and admitted to taking the images and recordings. He was reminded of the inappropriateness of his behaviour and encouraged to seek help." Forbes also deleted the images in the presence of Police. "Police acknowledge this man's behaviour was extremely distressing for the women involved and would like to reassure them that any new information will be thoroughly considered. "Based on the initial report and available evidence to date, Police are unable to progress the matter further." One of the sex workers who was allegedly recorded, Zara (not her real name) and another sex worker Fern (not her real name) released a joint statement to RNZ on Thursday. "The law urgently needs to catch up with the digital age. Covertly recording intimate encounters without consent is a form of sexual violence, yet current legislation fails to adequately protect victims - especially sex workers and those who identify as women. "We should be safe in public without images being captured of our bodies unbeknownst to us. Power imbalances across the board leave the potential for us to exploited, unheard, and unprotected. It's time for real legal reform that centres consent, safety, and accountability had allegedly recorded audio of a session with a sex worker." It comes after the madam of the brothel where Forbes allegedly recorded audio of a sex worker, told RNZ she wants something to be done about privacy laws when it comes to recording people without their knowledge. "This is an issue for all women, women are being recorded, photographed, filmed without their consent or knowledge and heaven only knows where it's ending up. This is the main issue and that's what needs to be focused on." Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's deputy chief press secretary Michael Forbes (left) during a trip to India. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi The Deparment of Internal Affairs said all Ministerial Services staff are subject to standard pre-employment checks when they are first employed. These checks include reference checks, serious misconduct checks and a criminal conviciton check. In addition, security clearances are required for some positions in Minister's offices. The department says these checks were completed when Michael Forbes was first employed by Ministerial Services and were not required for the later temporary assignment to the Prime Minister's office. "We acknowledge staff may be unsettled or feel their safety may have been compromised. We are committed to supporting our people and ensuring they feel, and are, safe at work." Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the incidents, that were investigated by police but didn't lead to any charges, occurred after he was vetted to work for Social Development Minister Louise Upston. "He has an obligation to actually declare those issues or those incidents to us, that didn't happen which is why his employment would have been terminated obviously. "But there is a good question about making sure, and I have asked specifically for DIA (The Department of Internal Affairs) to look at vetting processes," Luxon said in a media conference at Parliament on Thursday morning. He added that the expectation was on Forbes to have raised the incidents with the Prime Minister's office "because it impacts the office and the reputation of the office, for obvious reasons, but that didn't happen". Luxon said DIA had kicked off a "deep dive into seeing what further actions are needed to actually strengthen our processes." Forbes moved from Upston's office to the Prime Minister's in February this year and "had the vetting that he needed to come into the Beehive". "We will look at that to make sure that there's anything else we could have done differently in that vetting." The Prime Minister wouldn't discuss what level of security clearance Forbes had in the Beehive. Luxon also had questions about whether the investigation should have been elevated by police to the Beehive. 'We have to take this incident and understand what has happened here and how it happened, and what more can we do about it. "I think it's a legitimate question to say what can we look at between the inter-agency processes, between the different agencies, whether it's police, whether it's the SIS or whether it's ministerial services." The Prime Minister was open to looking at privacy laws after a call for a law change by the madam of the brothel at the centre of the accusations against Forbes. "I'm open to looking at our settings, again as we go through this experience, we have a series of laws whether it's the harmful digital bill, whether it's the privacy laws, or now new stalking laws, but we're open to looking at that further as well." "I think many Kiwis will be incredibly concerned with this issue, as I am too." Luxon said he spoke to a number of women on Wednesday who work closely with Forbes and he said "understandably there's anger, it's distressing". Prime Minister Christopher Luxon takes questions at the Beehive after the resignation of press secretary Michael Forbes. Photo: Luxon said he understood it was a private phone, not a government issued one, that was used to capture the recordings and photos. Police commissioner Richard Chambers said he was first made aware of the issue late on Tuesday afternoon after a media inquiry. "I immediately contacted the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and subsequently informed the Police Minister under the no-surprises practise." It was raised with the police executive in July 2024, during the investigation into the complaint. It was not brought to the attention of Ministers or Ministerial Services at the time. "It is up to the commissioner of the day (Andrew Coster) to decide what to elevate by way of the no surprises convention. "Those decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. It would be wrong for me to comment on decisions made by the then-executive because I do not know the information they were based on, or the reasons for those decisions. "In situations such as this, it should also be considered whether there is an obligation on an individual to raise any issues that might be relevant to their employment with their employer or prospective employer," he said. "Decisions around the handling of the investigation and questions about whether it should be re-visited are for Wellington District police to consider. I have absolute faith in them to do that." In a press conference, Chambers also said there would be different circumstances or reasons as to why a matter may or may not be elevated. "It is not the failure of my organisation at all. I think there are a number of responsibilities here on individuals to alert matters which they should understand could be problematic, in terms of prospective employment." Chamber's predecessor as Commissioner, Andrew Coster, said he had only learned of the investigation into Forbes through media reports. "I learned of this situation through the media in the last 24 hours. As I no longer have access to information about Police's processes I am unable to comment further," Coster said. That statement was put to Chambers, who said executive members know their responsibilities. "It is important that police executive members alert their Commissioner to matters that may need consideration." The madam of the Wellington brothel, which RNZ has agreed to not name, said she was at the brothel when a sex worker came out of a room and alleged Forbes was recording audio and showed her his phone. The madam went into the room while Forbes was in the shower and confronted him. "I said you were recording, have you done this before and he said 'uhuh'. I said you need to give me your pin number. "I went through his phone and I instantly found recordings that were named." She said she told Forbes she needed to keep his phone and he left. She then gave the phone to police. The madam alleged Forbes had "many recordings on his phone of sex workers". She knew of some of the women who had been recorded. "Those who needed to know found out they had been recorded," she says. The women were shocked, she said. It had been a "balancing act" for the women involved. "It's really tricky for sex workers to do things, sometimes because shit can come down on them. In a boys club like the one Michael Forbes is in who knows what the fallout could be. We are decriminalised, it's a legal business, there's a lot of discrimination against us, insurance companies banks and that." The women who had seen Forbes said he appeared "relatively respectful," the madam said. Forbes has offered an apology for the harm his actions caused to women. "I want to offer my sincerest apologies to the women I have harmed," he said in a statement. "In the past, I was in a downward spiral due to unresolved trauma and stress, and when confronted with the impacts of my behaviour a year ago, I sought professional help, which is something I wish I had done much earlier. "What I failed to do then was make a genuine attempt to apologise. Instead, I tried to move on without offering those I had harmed the acknowledgement, accountability, or amends they deserved. I recognise how wrong that was." Forbes said he spent the past year "reflecting on how I may have affected these women's sense of safety and ability to go about their lives and work". "No one should ever feel violated, unsafe, or disrespected, especially in spaces where they should feel secure, and I am truly sorry for contributing to an environment where women may have felt otherwise," he said. "The therapy I've received over the past year has helped me to understand the roots of my behaviour and begin addressing the patterns that led to it. This is a long-term commitment to change that I take very seriously. "I understand that my past actions may have undermined the trust people place in me. So, I have resigned from my job to focus on the work I need to do." RNZ asked Forbes on Wednesday evening if there was anything in the reporting he disputed or disagreed with. He replied "not really". But believed it was likely some of the photos were consensual ones of his partner. Asked for comment on Thursday morning about the comments from the madam of the brothel. He declined to comment further. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Early morning shooting leaves one injured in Southwest San Angelo, Police investigate
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — San Angelo police are investigating a shooting that left one person injured early Saturday morning in the 4400 block of Bermuda Drive. At approximately 4:55 a.m., officers responded to a report of a shooting and arrived to find an individual suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was quickly transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, though authorities have not yet released details on the extent of their injuries. San Angelo man indicted on 6 child sex crime charges The incident is being investigated by the San Angelo Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division. Authorities have stated that there is no known ongoing threat to the community, and preliminary findings suggest the shooting was an isolated event. Game wardens urge safety as boating season begins Authorities indicated that more information will be released to the public as it becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Leesburg police seek identities of men in malicious wounding case
LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) — The Leesburg Police Department is asking for the public's assistance in identifying two men involved in a malicious wounding that occurred on May 18. Officers responded at 2:18 a.m. after receiving reports of a large fight in a parking lot in the 500 block of E. Market Street. DC man sentenced for involvement in shooting death of 13-year-old There, a man was found unconscious on the ground, suffering from significant head and face injuries. Police have released photos of the two persons of interest in the case: Anyone who may recognize either of these individuals or has any information is asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 703-771-4500 or submit a tip anonymously at (703) 443-TIPS (8477) or email policeinvestigations@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
