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Joe Biden Reportedly Involved in Early Phases of Controversial 2016 Russia Probe

Mike Vance

Former Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee hopeful Joe Biden was reportedly involved in the early phases of the controversial 2016 Russia probe.

This juicy tidbit was located deep within a 7,700 word Washington Post article, of all places. In the article it discusses just how compartmentalized the investigation was and how other United States intelligence agencies were left completely in the dark deliberately.

Despite Biden's role in the initial Obama administration meetings on the Russian interference was largely unreported, this could create further questions from Attorney General William Barr who has appointed a U.S. attorney to investigate how the origins of the Russian collusion investigation came to be.

Last week on Fox News, Barr mentioned that the handling of the Russian investigation by the intelligence community in its early phases may raise some questions. In the interview he stated:

The thing that’s interesting about this is that this was handled at a very senior level of these departments. It wasn’t handled in the ordinary way that investigations or counterintelligence activities are conducted. It was sort of an ad hoc, small group — and most of these people are no longer with the FBI or the CIA or the other agencies involved. I think there’s a misconception out there that we know a lot about what happened. The fact of the matter is, Bob Mueller did not look at the government’s activities.

The 2017 Washington Post article discussed the circle of Obama administration officials who were chosen to lead the initial efforts of the Russia investigation. According to this report, Biden was added to the circle later on. Per The Post:

The secrecy extended into the White House.

Rice and White House homeland-security adviser Lisa Monaco convened meetings in the Situation Room to weigh the mounting evidence of Russian interference and generate options for how to respond. At first, only four senior security officials were allowed to attend: Brennan, Clapper, Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch and FBI Director James B. Comey. Aides ordinarily allowed entry as “plus-ones” were barred.

Gradually, the circle widened to include Vice President Biden and others.Agendas sent to Cabinet secretaries — including John F. Kerry at the State Department and Ashton B. Carter at the Pentagon — arrived in envelopes that subordinates were not supposed to open. Sometimes the agendas were withheld until participants had taken their seats in the Situation Room.

President Trump called out Obama for not being forceful enough on the matter. He tweeted: