Overview

• The lessons-learned report identifies procedural anomalies in the 2016 assessment, including a compressed timeline and uneven access to compartmented information.
• CIA leadership sidelined the National Intelligence Council and involved senior officials excessively, departing from standard analytic practices.
• Leaked reports in the Washington Post and the New York Times are cited as creating an anchoring bias before the assessment was completed.
• The assessment omitted credible reporting that suggested Vladimir Putin was ambivalent about which 2016 candidate he preferred.
• Ratcliffe criticized John Brennan’s push to include the unverified Steele dossier, vowing reforms to ensure future analyses remain independent of political influence.