https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/20/politics/trump-russia-intelligence-2020/index.htmlRussia is looking to help Trump win in 2020, e******n security official told lawmakers
By Jim Acosta, Zachary Cohen, Dana Bash and Jeremy Herb, CNN
Updated 8:30 AM ET, Fri February 21, 2020
The intelligence community's top e******n security official delivered a briefing to lawmakers last week warning them that the intelligence community believes Russia is already taking steps to interfere in the 2020 e******n with the goal of helping President Donald Trump win, three sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.
The briefers said Russia does favor Trump, but that helping Trump wasn't the only thing they were trying to do as it was also designed to raise questions about the integrity of the e******ns process, the source added.
Trump became irate in a meeting with outgoing acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire last week for allowing the information about Russia's meddling efforts to be included in the briefing, a White House official said.
"What the (intelligence community) sees as reporting the t***h -- simple statement of facts in evidence without judgment -- the President sees as undermining his legitimacy," the former official told CNN.
On Wednesday, Trump announced he was naming Richard Grenell, a staunch loyalist and current US ambassador to Germany, as acting DNI despite him not having experience in intelligence. A source familiar with internal discussions said White House officials saw Grenell as a good stopgap solution for the acting DNI vacancy as time was running out on Maguire's time in the position and because of Trump's dissatisfaction with Maguire due to the intelligence briefing.
Trump confirmed in a tweet Thursday night he plans to nominate a permanent DNI soon, and floated Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee and a top congressional ally, for the position when speaking to reporters on Air Force One.