Former FBI Agent Highlights Concerns: Absence of Russia Binder Could 'Endanger US Intelligence Sources'
A former FBI official has raised alarm, emphasizing the potential life-threatening consequences if a missing Russian intelligence file, reportedly absent at the conclusion of Donald Trump's presidency, had landed in Moscow's possession.
The vanished binder contained sensitive "raw intelligence" concerning Russia and its agents, and its last known location was within the White House during the former president's final days in office.
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Access to the 10-inch-thick "Crossfire Hurricane" document, pertaining to Russian intervention in the 2016 election, was limited to lawmakers and select congressional aides with top-secret security clearances, accessible solely at CIA headquarters in McLean, Virginia. Despite repeated denials of election interference by Russia, Trump had consistently labeled the FBI's investigation into these claims as a hoax.
The vanishing of this document has raised concerns about the potential sharing of sensitive information. According to a U.S. official speaking to The New York Times, the gravity of the situation prompted a briefing for the Senate Intelligence Committee regarding this matter.
"We need answers about this missing binder, particularly whether it was an accidental loss or a deliberate attempt to provide it to Russia, potentially endangering US intelligence sources and methods against Russia," said Frank Figliuzzi, former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI.
"A knowledgeable individual reading this, perhaps a Russian official, could easily extract sources and methods," he conveyed to the network where he contributes. "For instance, details such as 'on this specific date, Vladimir Putin conversed with this individual' could expose human sources or the existence of surveillance devices in Putin's office.
"Revealing such information could potentially jeopardize lives or compromise crucial technical means we have in operation," he emphasized.
Before leaving office, Trump initiated an order intending to declassify a significant portion of the binder's contents. A source associated with the former president informed The New York Times that the contents of the binder had drawn Trump's interest. A redacted version of the document is accessible on the FBI website.
In the segment, Figliuzzi proposed the issuance of a warrant to search the residence of former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows. Meadows has been implicated in the disappearance of the document by both White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson and Trump himself.
George J. Terwilliger III, Meadows' lawyer, informed The Times that the former chief of staff bears no responsibility and "never took any copy of that binder home at any time." Newsweek has reached out to Terwilliger and the Trump team for their comments.
In a recent blog post, Mary Trump, the former president's estranged niece, suggested without evidence that the former president might have sold or passed on the document to Russia. Previously, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung rejected this claim, questioning the evidence behind it by stating, "what proof do you have?" This was reported earlier by Newsweek.
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