Intel chiefs ‘resolute’ on Russia
Officials hold firm on findings despite Trump’s skepticism
Top U.S. intelligence officials told senators Thursday that they are confident in their assessment that Russia attempted to use cyberattacks to influence the U.S. presidential election, despite skepticism of their findings by President-elect Donald Trump.
“Our assessment now is even more resolute,” Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told the Senate Armed Services Committee in testimony echoed by Adm. Michael Rogers, director of the National Security Agency.
Clapper said the intelligence community will release a public report next week detailing Russia’s attempt to influence the U.S. presidential election by hacking Democrat Hillary Clinton’s campaign and other political groups. The CIA and FBI agreed that the interference was aimed at helping Trump beat Clinton.
Responding to questions from Democratic senators about Trump’s criticism of the intelli- gence community, Clapper said he has no problem with elected officials having a healthy skepticism about information from the intelligence community, which he said is “not perfect” since it is made up of human beings.
However, Clapper said, “I think there is a difference between
“Public trust and confidence in the intelligence community is crucial.” Director of National Intelligence James Clapper
skepticism and disparagement.”
“I do think that public trust and confidence in the intelligence community is crucial,” he said. Clapper said he has received many “expressions of concern” by U.S. allies “about what has been interpreted as disparagement of the intelligence community.”
Trump has dismissed the intelligence community’s claims about the Russians’ involvement in the election. He is scheduled to be briefed Friday on the soon-tobe-released report on hacking.
“The ‘intelligence’ briefing on so-called ‘Russian hacking ’ was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!” the president-elect tweeted Tuesday.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., reflecting the concern among some Republican lawmakers about Trump’s rift with the intelligence community he will soon lead, said it’s appropriate for Trump to challenge officials but not to undermine them.
“I think they need to be uplifted, not undermined,” Graham said. “They’re the best among us, and they’re trying to protect us.”
Clapper told the committee that a comprehensive report ordered by President Obama on Russian hacking will be ready next week, including an unclassified version that the public will be able to review. He said lawmakers will receive closed-door briefings on the classified portions of the report. Obama received the report Thursday.
Clapper said the Russians had more than one motive in trying to interfere with the election, and the report will detail their multiple objectives.
Clapper said the Russian interference “did not change any vote tallies or anything of that sort.” He said there is no way for the intelligence community to gauge the impact of the hacking and the subsequent leak of information on how Americans voted.
Clapper said he intends to “push the envelope” to include as much information as he can in the public version of the report without compromising secret sources. “I think the public should know as much as possible about this,” he said.
Armed Services Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., said the United States must increase the punishment for cyberattacks by foreign nations. “There is no escaping the fact that this committee meets today for the first time in this new Congress in the aftermath of an unprecedented attack on our democracy,” he said.