An ex-FBI official cautioned that a Russian intelligence file that was reportedly lost near the end of former President Donald Trump's tenure could "get somebody killed" if it makes its way to the Kremlin. The binder, which contains U.S. and NATO-ally "raw intelligence" on Russia and Russian agents, could only be viewed by legislators and congressional aides, according to CNN. The "Crossfire Hurricane" document was related to Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, a claim which both Trump and Russia have vehemently denied.
Frank Figliuizzi, former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, warned the lost document poses a potential threat if clandestine information is leaked. "We've got to know what happened with this binder and more importantly, whether this was a mere accident or whether the intention was to hand it to Russia to expose U.S. Intel sources and methods against Russia," Figliuizzi told MSNBC. During his interview, Figliuzzi was asked about Trump's comments made at a recent campaign event in New Hampshire, in which he invoked Vladimir Putin and targeted immigrants, saying that "they've poisoned the blood of our country." Figluizzi acknowledged that "I'm seldom at a loss for words, but when we have a candidate — a leading candidate, by the way — for his party's nomination for president, quoting our adversary Vladimir Putin to claim that somehow we are less than a democracy, or that democracy is a charade, we need to pay attention."
Regarding the missing binder, Figliuzzi said: "What's troubling here is that this document, this missing binder that's allegedly ten inches thick is filled with unredacted, raw intelligence reporting. That means a person who's positioned and knows, who's reading this — maybe a Russian official — can easily discern sources and methods from it ... All of that could literally get somebody killed or cause us to lose well-placed technical methods that are in place. So it's a mystery where this goes."
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