Trump CIA Dir: DOJ May Charge Hillary Clinton on Russia 'Hoax'

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CIA Director John Ratcliffe dropped a bomb on Sunday when he clearly told Fox's Maria Bartiromo that it's possible there could be "criminal prosecution" of several high profile Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, and even Ratcliffe's own predecessor, former Obama CIA chief John Brennan.

Ratcliffe made the remarks to Bartiromo on the latest Sunday Morning Futures from Fox News, in an interview that lasted almost 12 minutes, in which the two discussed the administration's ongoing investigations into the origins of the infamous Steele Dossier, the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation, and other events related to the so-called "Russiagate" accusations made against President Donald Trump as both a 2016 presidential candidate and throughout his term in office — not to mention, the Hunter Bidenlaptop scandal.

"For a four-year period of time, the truth about the origins of the Russia collusion hoax was hidden from the American people," Ratcliffe told Bartiromo on Sunday morning. "And, unfortunately, Maria, as you recall, those same people were already at that point in time onto their next hoax, the Hunter Biden laptop. This was a month before the 2020 election."

The two discussed the evidence that Ratcliffe says he has against multiple high profile former members of the Barack Obama administration in relation to those events. President Obama has been a frequent recent target of Trump, as well as DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who recently floated a charge of "treason" against the former president.

Bartiromo asked Ratcliffe whether the statute of limitations might interfere with any possible criminal proceedings, and Ratcliffe pointed out several instances of the individuals he'd named testifying that were still within the limits.

Both Ratcliffe and Gabbard have made criminal referrals to the DOJ in recent weeks, and Bartiromo asked if there could be actual prosecutions down the line.

The CIA chief said that some evidence "hasn't come out" yet, but is going to come out, saying "the underlying intelligence that I have spent the last few months making recommendations about final declassification and sent that to the Department of Justice that will come out in the John Durham report, Classified Annex."

He said, with regard to that as a basis for potential prosecution, "what that intelligence shows, Maria, is that part of this was a Hillary Clinton plan, but part of it was an FBI plan to be an accelerant to that fake Steele Dossier, to those fake Russia collusion claims by pouring oil on the fire, by amplifying the lie and baring the truth of what Hillary Clinton was up to."

Ratcliffe also dismissed the idea that the investigations and criminal referrals are just Trump "seeking retribution."

Bartiromo pressed for clarity on the possibility of indictments and prosecutions.

"So what I think I hear you saying is there is still an opportunity for indictments, potential prosecutions, accountability from those people who may have lied under oath, like John Brennan, James Comey, and perhaps Hillary Clinton," she said.

"Well, that's why I've made the referrals that I have," Ratcliffe confirmed.

He then was even more specific, adding that the administration and the agencies involved will "continue to share the intelligence that would support the ability of our Department of Justice to make fair and just, bring fair and justice claims against those who have perpetrated this hoax against the American people and this stain on our country."

The allegations being made by Republicans have become controversial in the press in a way they weren't when leveled against Trump, and Sen. Lindsey Graham battled NBC's Kristen Welker over the claims about former president Obama the same day as Ratcliffe's interview on Fox News.

BARTIROMO: Look, we've all, our audience knows this thanks to you and thanks to Devin Nunes. Our audience is well aware of what took place here. But we want to see accountability. Many of the Statute of Limitations have expired. It's been almost 10 years for many of these folks who did this. But John Brennan testified to Congress, and so did Hillary Clinton, within five years. I think it was in 2020.

RATCLIFFE: That's right.

BARTIROMO: And then again in 2021. Are those statute of limitations still live? Tell me if in fact, we could see a criminal prosecution here, as you just the other day three weeks ago have in fact referred criminal referrals to the DOJ.

RATCLIFFE: Well Maria, so part of what came out last week was about how John Brennan, Clapper, Comey, they all pushed the known fake Steele dossier into intelligence community assessments and as the basis for Crossfire Hurricane and all that. But what hasn't come out yet, and what's going to come out, is the underlying intelligence that I have spent the last few months making recommendations about final declassification and sent that to the Department of Justice that will come out in the John Durham report, Classified Annex.

And what that intelligence shows, Maria, is that part of this was a Hillary Clinton plan, but part of it was an FBI plan to be an accelerant to that fake Steele Dossier, to those fake Russia collusion claims by pouring oil on the fire, by amplifying the lie and baring the truth of what Hillary Clinton was up to.

And you're right, Maria. John Brennan testified to John Durham in August of 2020. He also testified to the House Oversight Committee in 2022. Hillary Clinton testified before John Durham under oath in 2022. James Comey testified before the Senate committee in September, 2020. All of that's within the last five years. And much of that testimony is frankly, completely inconsistent with what our underlying intelligence that is about to be declassified in the Durham Annex — what that reflects.

And so, you know, Pam Bondi does have a strike force. It is a different Department of Justice, a different FBI, and an opportunity to look at how these people really did conspire to run a hoax, a fraud on the American people and against Donald Trump's presidency. And so coming forward, we understand that they did this, but now we need to understand how they did.

And I think that's why you see the left losing their minds over this, Maria, saying, 'Why are you spending time? This is vindictive. You're going back, this is Donald Trump, you know, seeking retribution.' It's not. Donald Trump's election by the American people was a statement, Maria. They said to everyone: We know what you did to Donald Trump, and we re-elected him because we know this was all fake, we know it was a hoax, now we want to understand how you did it so that it can't happen again.

And that's what this declassification process that we're undergoing right now, what's going on, why it's so important, and why there can be accountability and preventability to prevent these same people that did it in 2016 with the Steele Dossier, with the Hunter Biden laptop in 2020 from doing it again in the future.

BARTIROMO: So what I think I hear you saying is there is still an opportunity for indictments, potential prosecutions, accountability from those people who may have lied under oath, like John Brennan, James Comey, and perhaps Hillary Clinton.

RATCLIFFE: Well, that's why I've made the referrals that I have, DNI Gabbard has made referrals, and why we're gonna continue to share the intelligence that would support the ability of our Department of Justice to make fair and just, bring fair and justice claims against those who have perpetrated this hoax against the American people and this stain on our country.