The top U.S. intelligence official on Monday stood by what he called “clear” assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election after President Donald Trump cast doubt on that conclusion following a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
The statement from Dan Coats, the Director of National Intelligence, did not directly reference Trump’s comments at a news conference alongside Putin in Helsinki. But it came just two-and-a-half hours after Trump said that while he had “great confidence” in U.S. intelligence, Putin’s denial of election meddling was “extremely strong and powerful.”
Coats said that the role of the intelligence community is “to provide the best information and fact-based assessments possible for the president and policymakers.”
“We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy, and we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security,” he said.
Trump has long been at odds with his own intelligence community, largely clashing over a report released by U.S. intelligence officials concluding that Putin ordered “an influence campaign” in 2016 aimed at helping the Trump campaign and harming his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.
Just days before the Helsinki summit, the Justice Department indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers accused of hacking into Democrat email accounts and releasing stolen information during the election.
Putin on Monday repeated the Russian denial of election interference, calling it “nonsense.” Trump himself sounded sympathetic to the Russian position, saying: “I don’t see any reason why Russia would interfere in the 2016 election.”
Days before the summit, Coats had spoken publicly of his concerns about cyber threats to U.S. national security and singled out Russia as the most aggressive foreign actor in that arena.
“The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, in coordination with international partners, have detected Russian government actors targeting government and businesses in the energy, nuclear, water, aviation and critical manufacturing sectors,” Coats said at the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington on Friday.
He went on to warn that Russia remains capable of launching an interference campaign on 2018 midterm elections similar to what occurred in 2016 “we are just one click on a keyboard away from a similar situation repeating itself,” he said.
When asked about Coat’s assessment in an interview with CBS news Saturday, President Trump said “I don’t know if I agree with that.”
(AP)
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5 Responses
Intel is a branch of the Executive, not the other way around.
We’ve a right to know who they are, how many, and exactly what they do.
Estimates range from 8-16 agencies and the American people don’t know much else about them.
Remember, it was Intel who assured us that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, which excused Bush to go to war for years, instead of engaging Saudi Arabia, who along with Afghanistan were responsible for 9/11.
So what’s Intel’s assessment of the Saudis?
Nobody knows.
Intel seems like a shadow government operating like the mob.
Mr. Coates :
Exactly what did the troika of Obama/Hillary/Kerry do about this Russian meddling?
Answer: Nothing.
Only when the Deplorables threw that gang out for good did this hue & cry start.
“I’ll have more flexibility after the election..”
Hussain Obama
The bottom line is that the CIA and FBI have kept us safe throughout a long siege of the war on terror. There have been very few incidents of foreign-inspired terror, far fewer than in other countries (considering we’re four times as big as most of the countries involved). They are professionals, in most cases held over from administration to administration, and the CIA, at least, has had very few incidences of moles and double agents.
Trump is a rookie with no government experience, and never read a classified briefing until after he was elected. He also has Putin’s assurance that Putin favored him, even as Putin claims he never did a thing to help him. Yeah, sure.
I’ll go with the pros, and send the rookie back to the dugout.
“……Trump is a rookie with no government experience, and never read a classified briefing until after he was elected….”
Take out “Trump” and substitute “Obama”..
You know, the community organizer, Rev. Wright ( …Dam…. America…) disciple , Saul Alinsky student , Ayatollah loving American backstabber, race baitor, kicking law enforcement in the teeth… allowing Syraians to gas civilians, allowing Putin to grab Crimea, kiss Castro in public and smoking his cigars….Palsy walsy with other South American dictators who hate the USA…
Midwest…. take some meds to relieve the Trump bone in your throat….. You’ll feel better..
pardon my typos..
The intel services, the military,and the Congress flawed and not perfect have served the interests and security of this country for over 200 years. This includes our presidents, until now. If someone would’ve told you Sunday that what transpired yesterday was going to happen, you would’ve thought the person out of their mind. Had Obama, for example, said anything remotely close to what trump said yesterday, some of you would be calling for his head, and rightly so. The cowardly bowing down to Putin and complete denigration of American institutions is indefensible.