INTERFERE IN OUR DEMOCRACY, I
WILL NOT HESITATE TO RESPOND TO
IMPOSE SUBSTANTIAL AND LASTING
COSTS.
>>> MEANWHILE, DEMOCRATIC
LEADERS ARE WORRIED ABOUT
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS BEING
TARGETED BY A FOREIGN
INTERFERENCE CAMPAIGN AND ARE
ASKING THE FBI FOR AN URGENT
BRIEFING
THE LETTER TO THEFBI DIRECTOR
READS, IN PART, WE ARE GRAVELY
CONCERNED, IN PARTICULAR, THAT
CONGRESS APPEARS TO BE THE
TARGET OF A CONCERTED FOREIGN
INTERFERENCE CAMPAIGN WHICH
SEEKS TO LAUNDER AND AMPLIFY
DISINFORMATION IN ORDER TO
INFLUENCE CONGRESSIONAL
ACTIVITY, PUBLIC DEBATE AND THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN
NOVEMBER.
>> LET’S BRING IN ONE OF THE
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO WROTE
THAT LETTER, CHAIRMAN OF THE
HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE,
CONGRESSMAN ADAM SCHIFF OF
CALIFORNIA
CONGRESSMAN, THANKS FOR BEING
WITH US.
MIKE BARNICLE IS HERE AND HAS
THE FIRST QUESTION
MIKE
>> MR. CHAIRMAN, ACCORDING TO
THE NEWS REPORTS, PART OF THAT
LETTER IMPLIES THAT RUSSIANS
MIGHT BE FUNNELING INFORMATION
TO SENATOR RON JOHNSON AND HIS
COMMITTEE IN THE UNITED STATES
SENATE, UNDERGOING JOE BIDEN AND
HIS FAMILY
IS THAT ACCURATE AND WHAT IS
YOUR RESPONSE IF IT IS ACCURATE?
>> I CAN’T GO INTO THE
UNDERLYING INFORMATION, AS YOU
CAN IMAGINE, BUT IT WAS EXACTLY
FOUR YEARS AGO THAT SENATOR
FEINSTEIN AND I ISSUED A PUBLIC
LETTER WARNING THE RUSSIANS WERE
THEN BEGINNING TO INTERFERE IN
THE 2016 ELECTION.
AND NOW WE HAVE THE SAME CONCERN
THAT, ONCE AGAIN, A FOREIGN
POWER, FOREIGN POWERS MAY BE
SEEKING AND MAY BE USING SOME OF
THE SAME MODALITIES AND THEY MAY
BE USING NEW TECHNIQUES SUCH AS
LAUNDERING INFORMATION THROUGH
CONGRESS WITH THE INTENT OF
INTERFERING AND AFFECTING OUR
ELECTION
WE THINK ALL THE MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF
IT SO NONE ARE UNWITTING OF WHAT
THE FOREIGN NATIONS MAY BE DOING
TO TRY TO INFLUENCE OUR ELECTION
AND WE CAN TAKE STEPS.
WE KNOW THE PRESIDENT ISN’T
GOING TO
WE KNOW THE PRESIDENT WILL
INVITE ANYONE THAT HELPS HIM
THE STATEMENT YOU JUST READ FROM
JOE BIDEN, THAT’S WHAT A
PRESIDENT SAYS TO TRY TO DETER
AND DISCOURAGE FOREIGN
INTERVENTION
WE’RE NOT GOING TO GET THAT FROM
THE EXISTING PRESIDENT
THE BEST THING WE CAN DO IN
CONGRESS IS INITIALLY ARM
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WITH
INFORMATION SO THEY’RE NOT
MANIPULATED OR USED TO PROPAGATE
RUSSIAN OR OTHER DISINFORMATION.
ALSO, I THINK THE COUNTRY NEEDS
TO BE INFORMED
>> ALL RIGHT
MR. CHAIRMAN, DAVID SANGER, ONE
OF THE AUTHORS OF "THE TIMES"
REPORT TODAY INDICATED "THE
TIMES" BELIEVES THAT WITHIN THIS
LETTER IS A REFERENCE TO SENATOR
RON JOHNSON AND HIS COMMITTEE
HAVING BEEN FUNNELED INFORMATION
FROM A FOREIGN SOURCE.
WOULD THAT SURPRISE YOU IF A
MEMBER OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE WERE
GETTING INFORMATION FROM FOREIGN
SOURCES WITH REGARD TO TAMPERING
WITH OUR ELECTION?
>> THIS IS AN ISSUE WE BROUGHT
UP DURING THE IMPEACHMENT.
YOU’LL RECALL DR. FIONA HILL HOW
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WERE
PROPAGATING A RUSSIAN FICTION,
IN THAT CASE ABOUT UKRAINE
INTERFERING IN THE ELECTION.
THE IMPORT OF THAT TESTIMONY AND
OTHERS WAS THAT THE PRESIDENT
AND HIS ACCOLADES IN CONGRESS
WERE STOKING THIS CONSPIRACY
THEORY THAT WAS OF RUSSIAN OTHER
ORIGIN
IF THERE ARE ISSUES LIKE THAT,
IF THERE IS INTELLIGENCE
SUGGESTING THE RUSSIANS OR ANY
OTHER POWER ARE SIMILARLY TRYING
TO INFLUENCE U.S. POLITICS, IN
THIS CASE THE U.S. ELECTION,
CONGRESS NEEDS TO BEAWARE OF I
AND ULTIMATELY THE CONGRESS
NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF IT.
WE HAVE TO TAKE STEPS, I THINK,
TO DETER THAT.
WE CAN’T COUNT ON PRESIDENT
TRUMP, SOMEONE WHO BEGGED THE
PRESIDENT OF CHINA TO HELP HIS
CAMPAIGN, WHO INVITED RUSSIA TO
DO SO IN 2016 AND WHO WILL NOT
SAFEGUARD OUR VOTE
I WILL SAY I THINK THE ORDER OF
YOUR SEGMENTS TODAY IS EXACTLY
THE RIGHT ORDER.
THAT IS A PARAMOUNT THREAT TO
OUR ELECTIONS IS WITHIN.
IT’S FROM A PRESIDENT THAT’S
ATTACKING ABSENTEE BALLOTS AND
HIS PARTY OFFICIALS WHO ARE
DISCREDITING MILLIONS OF VOTES
IN ADVANCE