Bolton charges ‘significant’ politicization of intelligence under Obama, questions Russian hacking allegations

by WorldTribune Staff, December 12, 2016

Former U.S. ambassador to the UN John Bolton believes the alleged Russian hacking of the presidential election could be a “false flag” orchestrated by the Obama administration.

“I do think it’s critical to answer the question that I posed: If you think the Russians did this, then why did they leave fingerprints?” Bolton told Fox News on Dec. 11.

John Bolton
John Bolton

“We would want to know who else might want to influence the election and why they would leave fingerprints that point to the Russians,” Bolton said. “That’s why I say until we know more about how the intelligence community came to this conclusion, we don’t know whether it’s Russian inspired or a false flag.”

Bolton asked why FBI Director James Comey said during the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server that there was no direct evidence found of foreign intelligence service penetration, but cyber fingerprints were found in regards to the alleged hacking of the presidential election.

“It is not at all clear to me just viewing this from the outside, that this hacking into the DNC and the RNC computers was not a false flag,” Bolton said. “So the question has to be asked, why did the Russians run their smart intelligence service against Hillary’s server, but their dumb intelligence service against the election?”

Asked if he was accusing someone in the administration or in the intelligence community of the alleged false flag, Bolton responded: “We just don’t know. But I believe that the intelligence community has been politicized in the Obama administration to a very significant degree.”

President Barack Obama has requested a review of the alleged Russian hacking. A bipartisan group of senators (John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer, and Jack Reed) has also called on an independent investigation.

Bolton said he had concerns about Obama trying to get the review wrapped up by Jan. 20. He said he thinks the burden of the review will fall on Mike Pompeo, Trump’s nominee for director of the CIA.

“He doesn’t bring any baggage to this, I would look to him to head up an investigation across the entire intelligence community,” Bolton said.

Bolton said that if the claims about Russia were true, the U.S. “should retaliate.”

“It is unacceptable for the American Constitution to be assaulted by foreigners in that way. So it is absolutely critical as well that we get the facts right on this, and I don’t think we have anywhere enough in the public domain to know what the facts are,” he said.

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