Trump’s CIA Backs 2016 Assessment That Putin Wanted Him to Win

A fresh CIA review agreed with earlier conclusions that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help President Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton — while criticizing what it called procedural flaws.

Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe said he had ordered the review to focus on the earlier report’s “most debated judgment — that Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘aspired’ to help then-candidate Donald Trump win the election.” The report found no reason to retract that claim.