Post by bot on Jan 8, 2017 21:50:24 GMT -5
Hoyer Statement on the Intelligence Community's Report on Russian Interference in the Election
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after the intelligence community released a report confirming that Russia interfered in the election:
“This report is damning. Our intelligence agencies have done their work and done it well. There can be no refuting the hard facts: Russia hacked our election, seeking to undermine America’s democratic and electoral institutions. Donald Trump has claimed that it could have been any of a number of nations or even a rogue individual who engaged in these cyberattacks. The evidence, however, makes Russian responsibility undeniable. If Donald Trump continues to deny the truth about Russian meddling in our election, it would demonstrate a severe disconnection from reality and raise questions about where his sympathies truly lie.
“As the President-Elect, Donald Trump has a responsibility to listen to our intelligence agencies, not attack them and defend Vladimir Putin. Such attacks only exacerbate the doubt in our democratic institutions that the Russian hackers and those who authorized their actions sought to create. We need a thorough, bipartisan, and timely review of this threat, and we need to make sure that the investigation does not get buried behind closed doors. That’s why I joined my colleagues in cosponsoring a bill today that would create an independent commission to investigate Russia's interference in our election and its effects on our democratic institutions.
“There is a real danger occurring: either Donald Trump is not receiving intelligence briefings because he believes them to be irrelevant – and thinks he knows more than our intelligence agencies – or he receives intelligence briefings but denies their findings. In either case, the President-Elect undermines the confidence the American people have in our intelligence agencies. I’m proud of the outstanding men and women risking their lives in our intelligence community, working day and night to provide our leaders with the best information possible. They have performed their jobs well; now it is up to the President-Elect to do his and accept the findings of today’s report and pledge to work with Congress to uncover the full scope of Russia’s interference and take an appropriate response.”