A binder containing raw intelligence on Russia and other sensitive areas compiled under the Trump administration has gone missing.
Aside from detailing conclusions of the FBI's "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation, which investigated alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, the binder contains extensive raw information on U.S. intelligence efforts across the world, CNN reported. Parts of the binder are so classified that they were previously only able to be reviewed at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The parts about Russian intelligence were described as only a small part of the contents of the binder, which is about 10 inches thick.
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The binder became a source of great attention at the end of former President Donald Trump's presidency as he sought to declassify its contents before leaving. A redacted copy was sent out to Republicans in Congress and different media outlets but quickly recalled amid the efforts of White House lawyers, who demanded additional redactions. Despite Trump's declassification order, even the redacted copies have yet to be released.
The full, unredacted binder was last seen in the White House in the final days of Trump's presidency. Its whereabouts are unknown, worrying intelligence officials so much that Senate Intelligence Committee leaders were briefed on the missing binder and the efforts to obtain it.
The binder was not among the classified contents found at Mar-a-Lago, nor was any Russian intelligence the target of the raid, a U.S. official familiar with the matter told CNN. Trump was not indicated to have been a suspect.
Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows during the Trump administration, claimed Meadows is in possession of the binder, which he vehemently denied.
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“Mr. Meadows was keenly aware of and adhered to requirements for the proper handling of classified material, any such material that he handled or was in his possession has been treated accordingly and any suggestion that he is responsible for any missing binder or other classified information is flat wrong,” Meadows's attorney George Terwilliger told CNN in a statement. “Anyone and any entity suggesting that he is responsible for anything missing does not have facts and should exercise great care before making false allegations.”
The sensitive parts of the binder contain sources and methods of U.S. intelligence in Russia and elsewhere, according to the report. It also contains intelligence compiled by NATO allies.