As Donald Trump continued to dismiss reports that the CIA has concluded that Russian hackers interfered in the 2016 United States election, a bipartisan group of senators on Sunday called for a Congress to look into the reports.
“For years, foreign adversaries have directed cyberattacks at America’s physical, economic, and military infrastructure, while stealing our intellectual property. Now our democratic institutions have been targeted. Recent reports of Russian interference in our election should alarm every American,” Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) said in a statement from the Armed Services Committee.
“Congress’s national security committees have worked diligently to address the complex challenge of cybersecurity, but recent events show that more must be done. While protecting classified material, we have an obligation to inform the public about recent cyberattacks that have cut to the heart of our free society. Democrats and Republicans must work together, and across the jurisdictional lines of the Congress, to examine these recent incidents thoroughly and devise comprehensive solutions to deter and defend against further cyberattacks,” they continued. “This cannot become a partisan issue. The stakes are too high for our country. We are committed to working in this bipartisan manner, and we will seek to unify our colleagues around the goal of investigating and stopping the grave threats that cyberattacks conducted by foreign governments pose to our national security.”
During a Sunday morning interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” McCain said that he would like to create a select committee to investigate Russian hacking. But he said that at the very least, the Senate Armed Services committee should launch a probe.
Meanwhile, Trump continued to dismiss reports that the CIA concluded that Russians tried to interfere in the 2016 election.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” Trump said on “Fox News Sunday.” “I don’t believe it.”
He added that Democrats may be pushing the narrative that Russia tried to help Trump, and he noted that officials at the FBI and CIA disagree on Russia’s motives. As the Washington Post reported, officials at the CIA believe that Russia intended to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton, but FBI officials are less sure of Russia’s motives.
“They don’t know, and I don’t know,” Trump said.
No HacK. TrumP deduced FrOm the CIA brief thaT it didNt happen. AnD, Bolton whOse almoSt as smart as TrumP, knows it’s a False flag. And he wasn’t even Briefed. Highly politicized intelligence!
And, of course, THIS is the feral trumpers in a nutshell.
If I don’t understand something, then no one can understand it.
I think the intel professionals investigating this case are doing so with added relish; Trump has impugned their effectiveness, and he’s made it personal. He forgets that these guys found Osama bin Laden and hit him.
Trump has alienated the intel community with his dismissive and insulting comments, he’s challenged Republicans to put country before party. Defense hawks and national security experts are apoplectic about these revelations.
He has no place to hide, and he’s hardly got a friend in his corner.
Sad to say, but maybe this is what it will finally take to rediscover our sense of national purpose. Not lapel-pin patriotism, but true love for our country, and a willingness to defend it.
The wheels are now turning and grinding.
And I question the emos who have criticized President Obama as a wimp who backed down from going public - they say he lacked the will after Mitch McConnell objected to making the CIA’s findings public back in September.
I believe the investigation was already underway and McConnell entrapped himself and at the very least he will be disgraced and exposed. The trap was laid, and I think more than just Trump will be implicated.
There was a report recently that the Russians hacked some voter databases. The Russians would not do this just to “create chaos;” it’s likely they did it with a goal and objective in mind.
Some have wondered about about Guilianti, given his relative quiet. I believe he, and possibly professional dirty tricks artist/ratfucker Roger Stone, was probably a bag man for the Russian go-betweens and is laying low, dreading the proverbial knock on the door.
Truly, we are living in interesting times.
Interesting thought about Giuliani. We already have his own word implicating him. He is stupid enough yet also vain enough to have believed he could have gotten away with being the “bagman”.
And before the election Stone practically admitted he was working behind the scenes on some cloak-and-dagger stuff.