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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now # 17 intelligence organizations or 4? Either way, Russia conclusion still valid * National ![\\"Lauren](\\" By Lauren Carroll July 6, 2017 President Donald Trump, speaking in Poland July 6, downplayed the strength of the intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia meddled in the election to his benefit. He justified his doubt by noting that the New York Times and the Associated Press recently corrected stories to clarify that four agencies, rather than 17, were directly involved in the January intelligence assessment about Russia’s interference in the election. \"I heard it was 17 agencies. I said, boy, that’s a lot. Do we even have that many intelligence agencies? Right, let’s check that,\" Trump told NBC’s Hallie Jackson. \"We did some heavy research. It turned out to be three or four. It wasn’t 17. ... I agree, I think it was Russia, but I think it was probably other people and/or countries, and I see nothing wrong with that statement. Nobody really knows. Nobody really knows for sure.\" It’s valid for Trump to criticize news organizations for not being specific enough in their reports (more on that in a bit). But this does not invalidate the report by the CIA, FBI, NSA and Director of National Intelligence, nor their \"high confidence\" in their judgment that Russia engaged in an influence campaign directed at the election. Relevance over quantity Trump asked if the federal government really does have 17 intelligence organizations. Yes, it does. They are as follows: Air Force Intelligence, Army Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, Coast Guard Intelligence, Defense Intelligence Agency, Energy Department, Homeland Security Department, State Department, Treasury Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Marine Corps Intelligence, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, National Security Agency, Navy Intelligence and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Some of these are large, independent agencies, like the FBI, CIA and NSA. Others are smaller offices within agencies whose main focus is not intelligence, like the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research or the Treasury’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis. Four out of the 17 were involved in the January assessment about Russia: CIA, FBI, NSA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which is an umbrella agency that oversees all 17 organizations. This doesn’t mean the remaining 13 intelligence organizations disagree with the January assessment, nor does it mean the report was insufficient, according to multiple national security experts. The 17 organizations differ on their missions and scope, so they wouldn’t all be expected to contribute to every intelligence assessment, including one of this import. \"What matters is the agencies that (were involved) and whether, based on their mandate and collection responsibilities, those are the agencies best positioned to make the assessment,\" said Carrie Cordero, counsel at law firm ZwillGen and former counsel for various federal agencies focusing on national security. For example, the intelligence arms of the Drug Enforcement Agency or the Coast Guard would not be expected to collect intelligence related to Russian interference in an election, said Steven Aftergood, director of the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists. \"So their endorsement or non-endorsement basically means nothing in this case,\" Aftergood said, adding, \"In this context, the assessments that count the most are those of CIA, NSA, FBI and ODNI.\" The intelligence community likely limited the Russia assessment to those four agencies because they have the most to contribute on this topic, and because they wanted to contain the highly sensitive intelligence as much as possible, said Paul Pillar, senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies who served in the intelligence community for 28 years. \"The ones that participated are the ones you’d expect on this,\" Pillar said. \"It’s hard to see any of the others having something to contribute.\" \"That does not vitiate the conclusions. It does not mean the jury is still out,\" he added. Assessing our October rating Back in October 2016, we rated this statement by then-candidate Hillary Clinton as True: \"We have 17 intelligence agencies, civilian and military, who have all concluded that these espionage attacks, these cyberattacks, come from the highest levels of the Kremlin, and they are designed to influence our election.\" Many readers have asked us about this rating since the New York Times and Associated Press issued their corrections. Our article referred to an Oct. 7, 2016, joint statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security that presented a preliminary conclusion about Russia’s involvement in the election. We noted then that the 17 separate agencies did not independently declare Russia the perpetrator behind the hacks; however, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence speaks on behalf of the group. We asked experts again this week if Clinton’s claim was correct or not. \"In the context of a national debate, her answer was a reasonable inference from the DNI statement,\" Cordero said, emphasizing that the statement said, \"The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident\" in its assessment. Aftergood said it’s fair to say the Director of National Intelligence speaks for the intelligence community, but that doesn’t always mean there is unamity across the community, and it’s possible that some organizations disagree. But in the case of the Russia investigation, there is no evidence of disagreement among members of the intelligence community. Share the Facts 2017-07-06 20:50:22 UTC PolitiFact ![\\"PolitiFact\\"](\\" logo-big.jpg\\"/) -1 -1 -1 ![\\"PolitiFact](\\" ratings-f02beacd-26dc-405c-a4c1-895f118cd24f\\") PolitiFact Rating: Yes, but needs context Not 17, but 4, intel agencies found Russia meddled in election. Donald Trump President ![](\\" a press conference in Poland Thursday, July 6, 2017 2017-07-06 Read More info Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter ### Our Sources DNI, \"Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections,\" Jan. 6, 2017 NBC, \"Trump Downplays Russian Election Meddling Yet Again,\" July 6, 2017 CBS Reporter Jackie Alemany, Tweet, July 6, 2017 AP, \"Clarification: Trump-Russia stories,\" June 30, 2017 New York Times, \"Corrections: June 29, 2017,\" June 29, 2017 Email interview, Steven Aftergood, director of Federation for American Scientists’ Project on Government Secrecy, July 6, 2017 Email interview, Carrie Cordero, counsel at ZwillGen, July 6, 2017 Phone interview, Paul Pillar, senior fellow at Georgetown Center for Security Studies, July 6, 2017 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Lauren Carroll ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on April 28, 2017 in the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting: \"For the first time in the modern political era, we have confirmed a new justice in the first 100 days.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • April 28, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Sean Spicer stated on April 25, 2017 in the daily White House press briefing: Trump has \"worked with Congress to pass more legislation in his first 100 days than any president since Truman.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • April 27, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on April 26, 2017 in a tweet: The Ninth Circuit has an overturned record \"close to 80%.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • April 26, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Casey Cagle stated on June 22, 2017 in a meeting with small business owners: Says of Georgia, \"for four years in a row, we are the No. 1 state to do business in.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • July 19, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on July 6, 2017 in a press conference in Poland: Says Barack Obama found out about Russia \"in August. Now, the election was in November. That\'s a lot of time. He did nothing about it.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • July 10, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Marc Short stated on July 2, 2017 in an episode of \"Fox News Sunday\": 7 million people the Congressional Budget Office says won\'t have health insurance coverage under the Senate health care bill \"don\'t exist.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • July 5, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Jeff Sessions stated on June 13, 2017 in a congressional hearing: \"It\'s a longstanding policy of the Department of Justice not to comment on conversations that the attorney general has had with the president of the United States.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • June 14, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kimberley Strassel stated on May 28, 2017 in \"Meet the Press\" on NBC: In 2008, \"candidate Obama, he\'s not even president-elect, sends William Miller over to Iran to establish a back channel and let the Iranians know that should he win the election, they will have friendlier terms.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Lauren Carroll • June 2, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Uspoln Website stated on May 23, 2017 in an online article: \"Rubio: ‘Rape victims should be in custody if there is suspicion that they’re planning abortion.’ \" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • June 1, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Newt Gingrich stated on May 21, 2017 in an episode of \"Fox and Friends\": Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich \"apparently was assassinated at 4 in the morning, having given WikiLeaks something like 53,000 emails and 17,000 attachments. ... It turns out, it wasn’t the Russians.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • May 23, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Rush Limbaugh stated on May 17, 2017 in an episode of the \"Rush Limbaugh Show\": \"What Trump is alleged to have done is actually no different than what Barack Obama did in April last year when he made it known that he didn’t want Hillary prosecuted.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • May 18, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Richard Blumenthal stated on May 9, 2017 in a press conference: \"What does Trumpcare do? Yank tax credits away from veterans unlike any other American.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • May 15, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Bloggers stated on May 4, 2017 in blog headlines: Under the House Republican health plan, sexual assault is a pre-existing condition. ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • May 5, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ivanka Trump stated on May 2, 2017 in her book \"Women Who Work\": \"40 percent of American households have female primary breadwinners.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • May 3, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on April 30, 2017 in an interview on CBS: \"General Flynn got his clearance from the Obama administration.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Lauren Carroll • May 2, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on April 28, 2017 in the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting: \"For the first time in the modern political era, we have confirmed a new justice in the first 100 days.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • April 28, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Sean Spicer stated on April 25, 2017 in the daily White House press briefing: Trump has \"worked with Congress to pass more legislation in his first 100 days than any president since Truman.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • April 27, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on April 26, 2017 in a tweet: The Ninth Circuit has an overturned record \"close to 80%.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • April 26, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Casey Cagle stated on June 22, 2017 in a meeting with small business owners: Says of Georgia, \"for four years in a row, we are the No. 1 state to do business in.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • July 19, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on July 6, 2017 in a press conference in Poland: Says Barack Obama found out about Russia \"in August. Now, the election was in November. That\'s a lot of time. He did nothing about it.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • July 10, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Marc Short stated on July 2, 2017 in an episode of \"Fox News Sunday\": 7 million people the Congressional Budget Office says won\'t have health insurance coverage under the Senate health care bill \"don\'t exist.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Lauren Carroll • July 5, 2017 ### 17 intelligence organizations or 4? Either way, Russia conclusion still valid * ![](\\" ![](\\" New Hampshire Democratic Party stated on September 12, 2024 in an ad: When New Hampshire Republican gubernatorial nominee Kelly Ayotte served on two companies’ boards, one “laid off 18,000 workers” and the other “laid off 1,200 American workers, moving jobs overseas.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • October 2, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Kelly Ayotte stated on September 12, 2024 in an ad: “In Manchester, Joyce Craig pushed for a city sales tax … and tried to raise the tax cap six times.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • October 2, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" House Majority PAC stated on September 9, 2024 in a television ad: Laurie Buckhout is “trying to get to Congress to pass a national abortion ban, allowing politicians to ban abortions with no exceptions and prosecute women if they get an abortion, treating women right here like criminals.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Paul Specht • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump Jr. stated on September 9, 2024 in a post: “Less than three months ago, Kamala Harris and her administration blocked 300,000 unvetted Haitian migrants from being deported out of our country.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on September 30, 2024 in an X post: Photo shows President Joe Biden lounging on the beach \"while towns all over America were being wiped out” by Hurricane Helene. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Samantha Putterman • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on September 30, 2024 in in social media posts: “Biden Announces: ‘2.4 billion more to Ukraine’ but ‘no more aid for Hurricane Helene.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 24, 2024 in a post: “Olympic boxer Imane Khelif fails gender test, stripped of all titles, lifetime ban and $25 million prize money revoked!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Grace Abels • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on September 30, 2024 in a press conference in Georgia: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was calling President Joe Biden after Hurricane Helene but \"hasn\'t been able to get him.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Caleb McCullough • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 29, 2024 in an Instagram post: “Video shows Kamala (Harris) responding to someone talking through her earrings that she allegedly wore during the Trump vs. Harris debate.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on September 29, 2024 in a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania: Vice President Kamala Harris “even wants to legalize fentanyl.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • September 30, 2024 Load more #### Offices District of Columbia 1800 I Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Florida 801 3rd St. S St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-821-9494 #### People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis #### State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin #### About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters #### RSS Feeds * Recent Articles and Fact-checks * Recent Fact-checks Suggest a Fact-check #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Copyright ©All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization ![\\"\\"](\\" * * *
Not 17 but 4 intel agencies found Russia meddled in election