DNI chief, lawmakers defend intel community’s work on ISIS after Obama remarks

The top U.S. intelligence official, in a memo to staff obtained by Fox News, praised his analysts for their work bringing attention to the Islamic State's gains over the past two years -- as Republican lawmakers likewise jumped to their defense after President Obama claimed they "underestimated" the threat.

The president's comments to "60 Minutes" over the weekend have prompted a vigorous round of finger-pointing. The White House has eased off, saying the president did not intend to blame the intelligence community -- but also is disputing accusations from GOP lawmakers and intelligence officials that Obama simply ignored their ISIS warnings for months.

"It wasn't for lack of information, we all knew about it for years," Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., told Fox News on Wednesday. She claimed lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee, on which she sits, "gave it to the administration and said, 'wake up, there's something very serious happening.'" More