Guidance On '17 Intelligence Agencies'

As we continue to report about the president and his view of what the U.S. intelligence community has concluded regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election, we need to be careful about references to the 2017 analysis issued by the Director of National Intelligence.

While the DNI does speak on behalf of 17 intelligence agencies, the work that led to the assessment about Russian interference came from three of the 17 — the CIA, FBI and NSA.

The conclusion has been affirmed by other agencies and Congressional intelligence committees, but it is best to say that "U.S. intelligence agencies" or "the U.S. intelligence community" say that Russia tried to influence the campaign and "undermine faith in the U.S. democratic process." Don't specifically attribute the conclusion to all 17 intelligence agencies.