Spy chief releases docs on claim Hillary Clinton cooked up Russia scandal

National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe on Tuesday declassified documents about a claim Hillary Clinton ordered “a campaign plan to stir up a scandal” by linking President Trump to Russia in 2016 — and that indicate then-President Barack Obama knew about her possible role.

Ratcliffe provided to Fox News an undated set of notes from then-CIA Director John Brennan about a briefing for Obama that touched on the allegation, and an investigative referral from the CIA to the FBI describing the claim.

“Today, at the direction of President Trump, I declassified additional documents relevant to ongoing Congressional oversight and investigative activities,” Ratcliffe told Fox News Tuesday.

Most of the unredacted content in the documents was released by Ratcliffe last week, though minor new details cast doubt on former FBI Director James Comey’s declaration last week that he could not recall the claim, which Clinton allies deny as baseless potential Russian disinformation.

The newly released notes from Brennan, who now is a fiery anti-Trump commentator, indicate that Brennan briefed Obama on “alleged approval by Hillary Clinton on July 28 of a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisors to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by Russian security services.”

Ratcliffe’s initial disclosure said that, according to Brennan’s notes, Clinton allegedly approved the scheme on July 26. The minor inaccuracy shortens the window of time between Clinton’s alleged approval of the plot and the FBI opening its investigation of possible Trump-Russia collusion on July 31, 2016.

A previously undisclosed annotation in Brennan’s notes appears to attribute to Obama an interest in “any evidence of collaboration between Trump campaign + Russia.”

The initials “JC” also are on the briefing notes, implying that Comey attended the meeting where Brennan discussed the theory with Obama.

In the margins are also references to “Denis” and “Susan,” which could refer to former national security adviser Susan Rice and Obama chief of staff Denis McDonough.

Most of the document was redacted by Ratcliffe’s office, making it impossible to understand the full context of the meeting or when exactly it occurred.

The investigative referral from the CIA to the FBI, meanwhile, contains the previously disclosed passage noting an allegation about “Clinton’s approval of a plan concerning US Presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as a means of distracting the public from her use of a private mail server.”

The actual referral is mostly redacted, but additionally states that the document was sent “per FBI verbal request.” It was addressed to Comey, but to the attention of then-FBI Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok, who notoriously traded anti-Trump text message on work phones with his mistress, FBI lawyer Lisa Page.

In his initial disclosure last week, Ratcliffe said the claim against Clinton was unproven and could be an “exaggeration or fabrication.”

A Clinton spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said last week the claim was “baseless bulls–t.”

But the Trump campaign boosted the latest release. “It is imperative that the American people now learn what then-Vice President Joe Biden knew about this conspiracy and when he knew it,” campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said in a statement.

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, Comey said he could not recall the allegations that Clinton decided to falsely allege Trump was in cahoots with Russia.

“I do not” remember the referral, Comey told Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) during the hearing.

“That doesn’t ring a bell with me,” Comey confirmed when Graham read aloud from Ratcliffe’s initial disclosure.

Trump mocked Comey’s memory and accused him at a Minnesota rally that night of being among the “crooks” who he said tried “for a coup” against his presidency. Special counsel Robert Mueller last year found no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump and Russia.

“I watched Comey, he couldn’t remember anything, but he’s writing all these books. They’re guilty as hell,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in a Thursday interview.