Senior Senate Democrat Calls for Congressional Probe of Russian Meddling in US Election

[Bill USA]

... seems like an email campaign is needed on this.


Senior Senate Democrat Calls for Congressional Probe of Russian Meddling in US Election - Still, the Ds aren't mounting a fierce push, and the Rs seem uninterested

The future top Democrat in the Senate has called for a congressional investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who will succeed the retiring Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) as the Senate minority leader in the Congress that convenes in January, has signed on to the demand for a congressional inquiry into the Russian hacking of political targets—including the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta, the chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign—during the 2016 campaign. "Foreign interference in our elections is a serious issue, and deserves a vigorous investigation," Schumer tells Mother Jones.

Two weeks ago, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, sent a letter to Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the committee's chairman, asking that Chaffetz launch an investigation of Russian intervention in the election. This request came two days after the chief of the National Security Agency, Admiral Michael Rogers, said a "nation-state"—meaning Russia—had messed in the 2016 elections "to achieve a specific effect." Rogers was referring to the hacking of Democratic targets and the release of the pilfered information via WikiLeaks. Cummings noted in his letter that Chaffetz had told him that he was "open to considering such an investigation." But Chaffetz has yet to respond to Cummings, according to a Cummings spokesperson. And a spokeswoman for Chaffetz did not respond to a request for comment.

Talking to reporters earlier this month, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the top House Democrat, said Democrats would demand such a probe: "Something is not right with this picture and I think the American people deserve an investigation into how a foreign government had an impact on our election." And Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who was harshly critical of Trump during the campaign, proposed that Congress hold hearings on "Russia's misadventures throughout the world," including the DNC hack. "Were they involved in cyberattacks that had a political component to it in our elections?" Graham recently asked.
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Congress Must Investigate After NSA Chief Confirms Russians Hacked Democracy

It is a literal crying shame that the mainstream media failed to scream bloody murder over a national security story this week that deserves the highest priority: confirmed Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Little, if anything, was reported that on Tuesday last, the director of the National Security Agency (NSA), Admiral Michael Rogers, was queried about the release of hacked information during the American general election and Donald Trump’s campaign. Admiral Rogers said;

“This was a conscious effort by a nation-state [Russia] to attempt to achieve a specific effect. This was not something that was done casually. This was not something that was done by chance. This was not a target that was selected purely arbitrarily.”

It is nearly impossible to imagine a more stunning statement and damning indictment coming from the head of the primary United States security agency. Of course, it should not be a revelation; Admiral Rogers’ statement echoed similar remarks from many other senior American officials that are not connected to the newest arm of the Republican Party and Donald J. Trump, the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

What Admiral Rogers said on the most fundamental level was that an adversarial foreign government, Russia, “directly intervened in the US election to obtain a desired end:” to undermine Americans’ confidence in the American electoral process or to install the Russian oligarchs’ candidate Donald Trump. It was likely to achieve both of Vladimir Putin’s “desired ends.” In fact, it is no exaggeration to claim with confidence that Admiral Rogers clearly accused Vladimir Putin of meddling in the election to achieve another desired end; abolish America’s democracy with an authoritarian fascist committed to furthering Russia’s worldview.
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[Sam1]

1. And what are we going to find out? That Russia

learn most of the tricks of this particular trade from the US. When are we going to learn the American Exceptionalism doesn't mean that we can do things to others that they can't do to us.