CNN: Classified files on Russia's role in U.S. elections disappear at end of Trump's term
Photo: Former U.S. President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
At the end of the presidency of former U.S. President Donald Trump, a folder containing highly classified information about Russia's interference in the elections disappeared from the White House, reports CNN.
It is reported that the folder contained intelligence gathered by the U.S. and its NATO allies on Russians and Russian agents, including sources and methods, based on the assessment that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin sought to help Trump win the 2016 elections.
The information was allegedly so classified that only those working at the CIA headquarters in Langley, where their work was meticulously studied and stored in a secure safe, could handle and be familiar with it.
Trump ordered it to be brought in to declassify a series of documents related to the investigation of Russian interference in the elections. Under the supervision of the then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, several edited copies were made. Then the folder disappeared.
The secret folder was last seen in the White House during the final days of Trump's tenure.
The former president supposedly ordered it to be brought there to declassify numerous documents related to the FBI investigation into Russia.
Under the supervision of then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Republican aides who worked on editing the most confidential information checked the folder to make it possible to declassify and publish.
Two and a half years after Trump left office, the missing intelligence, it seems, has not been found.
Legal cases against Trump
Over 90 criminal charges have been brought against Donald Trump in several cases: regarding the payment of $130,000 to porn actress Stormy Daniels, attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, improper handling of classified information after leaving the presidential office, and other accusations.
Recently, Special Prosecutor Jack Smith appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether Trump has immunity from legal persecution in the process related to subversive activities in the 2020 election, the hearing of which is currently scheduled for early March next year.
In early December, it was reported that Trump could be held civilly liable for the actions of participants in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
