Senate panel backs intelligence agencies on Russia-Trump conclusions

[GMDino]

Dumped pre-holiday it got covered over pretty quick.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-cyber/senate-panel-backs-intelligence-agencies-on-russia-trump-conclusions-idUSKBN1JT2YB

Quote:WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Senate Intelligence Committee report released on Tuesday supports three U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Russia tried to help Donald Trump win the 2016 U.S. presidential election.


FILE PHOTO: Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) speaks to the media about the committee's findings and recommendations on threats to election infrastructure on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

The Republican-led committee’s finding suggests the panel continues to conduct a bipartisan inquiry into the issue amid political rancor between Republicans and Democrats on allegations that Moscow interfered in the election.

“As numerous intelligence and national security officials in the Trump administration have since unanimously re-affirmed, the (Intelligence Community Assessment’s) findings were accurate and on point,” said committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, a Democrat.

“The Russian effort was extensive and sophisticated, and its goals were to undermine public faith in the democratic process, to hurt Secretary Clinton (Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton) and to help Donald Trump,” Warner said.

Separate from congressional inquiries, U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether any Republican Trump’s election campaign members coordinated with Moscow officials.

Neither the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which reported the intelligence agencies’ findings in January 2017, nor the Senate committee has concluded that Trump’s campaign or aides colluded with Russia.

The committee is still investigating any possible collusion, interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence, officials said.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley, asked by reporters on Tuesday about the Senate panel’s report while traveling with Trump on Air Force One to West Virginia, said: “The president has been very clear and has said it many times that he feels the Russians meddled in the election.”

The U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, dominated by Republicans sympathetic to Trump, found no conclusive evidence proving collusion. But House panel Republicans, in a report on April 27, did say that Russia ran an information warfare campaign to disrupt the election.

The Kremlin denies meddling and Trump denies collusion. On June 28, Trump said on Twitter that “Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling on Our Election!”


The following day, however, he told reporters that he planned to raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin when they meet on July 16 in Helsinki.

According to public records and congressional officials, the Senate Intelligence Committee report is the latest of four election-related inquiries on which the panel’s Republicans and Democrats continue to cooperate.

Earlier, the committee held a public hearing and issued a report on the security of U.S. election systems, on which there was no partisan dissent. 

Committee Democrats also are collaborating with Republicans on an inquiry that is likely to cite former President Barack
Obama and his administration for moving too slowly to probe evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Committee Democrats and Republicans also are working together on an examination of the role social media played in influencing U.S. voters, and may hold hearings on that issue.

Emphasis mine.

[NATI BENGALS]

Nope. I am a good lemming. I trust the conman and russia

[hollodero]

Richard Burr definitely deserves credit.

[Benton]

Trying to help him win and him working with them to help him win are different. Helping him is bad, but different than if he worked with them for the win.

[*bfine32*]

(07-04-2018, 09:01 PM)Benton Wrote: Trying to help him win and him working with them to help him win are different. Helping him is bad, but different than if he worked with them for the win.

This is where I'm at and kudos for the objective stance. I think there is little doubt that Russia stuck their nose in our election, but did Trump collude with them? If the answer is yes, then he should be subjected to impeachment forthwith. If not, then he should announce sanctions to Putin personally during their summit. 

[Belsnickel]

(07-04-2018, 09:01 PM)Benton Wrote: Trying to help him win and him working with them to help him win are different. Helping him is bad, but different than if he worked with them for the win.

Completely agree. I have said from the start that I doubt he colluded with them, but there is little doubt they sought his win. I just wish he would accept it. When he denegrates the USIC with this it just looks awful.

[hollodero]

(07-04-2018, 09:15 PM)bfine32 Wrote: This is where I'm at and kudos for the objective stance. I think there is little doubt that Russia stuck their nose in our election, but did Trump collude with them? If the answer is yes, then he should be subjected to impeachment forthwith. If not, then he should announce sanctions to Putin personally during their summit. 

Hey, I actually agree 100% for once.

[fredtoast]

There is no proof that Trump colluded with Russia, but everytime he lies to protect Putin he makes himself look guilty.

The cover up can be just as bad as the crime.

[Benton]

(07-04-2018, 09:24 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: Completely agree. I have said from the start that I doubt he colluded with them, but there is little doubt they sought his win. I just wish he would accept it. When he denegrates the USIC with this it just looks awful.

I understand the thinking though. He can’t say he won (even in part) because Russians manipulated American voters. Makes his base seem like guiable morons.

[NATI BENGALS]

(07-04-2018, 09:01 PM)Benton Wrote: Trying to help him win and him working with them to help him win are different. Helping him is bad, but different than if he worked with them for the win.

Well hell. Here i am over here in reality where the guy currently "running" the trump empire took a meeting at trump tower with a russian promising dirt on hillary clinton. And the dad made up some shit about adoption when we found out the public was going to become aware. And then there were a ton of lies about communications with russians from the trump org. Then there was public praise on a global scale for russia. 

If he is dumb enough to be played by russia there is no collusion and he is a threat to national security.

If he is a lifelong conman who was just aided by a foreign adversary to take control of our country. He is a threat to natioal security.

[fredtoast]

If there was no collusion then why all the lying about the secret meetings?

[*michaelsean*]

(07-05-2018, 01:27 AM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: Well hell. Here i am over here in reality where the guy currently "running" the trump empire took a meeting at trump tower with a russian promising dirt on hillary clinton. And the dad made up some shit about adoption when we found out the public was going to become aware. And then there were a ton of lies about communications with russians from the trump org. Then there was public praise on a global scale for russia. 

If he is dumb enough to be played by russia there is no collusion and he is a threat to national security.

If he is a lifelong conman who was just aided by a foreign adversary to take control of our country. He is a threat to natioal security.

Getting dirt on someone is not collusion nor illegal.

[hollodero]

(07-05-2018, 11:35 AM)michaelsean Wrote: Getting dirt on someone is not collusion nor illegal.

What about if that someone providing the dirt is expecting something in return?

[*bfine32*]

I heard Trump had no choice to use the Russian government to spy on Hills; as ours was busy spying on him.

[*michaelsean*]

(07-05-2018, 11:40 AM)hollodero Wrote: What about if that someone providing the dirt is expecting something in return?

Like Christopher Steele or something?  I think that's OK.

[Belsnickel]

(07-05-2018, 11:40 AM)hollodero Wrote: What about if that someone providing the dirt is expecting something in return?

(07-05-2018, 11:43 AM)michaelsean Wrote: Like Christopher Steele or something?  I think that's OK.

Yeah, this is actually very common. Opposition research like this is the norm in politics, not just in the US, either. Usually, if a campaign finds something explosive they don't release it themselves. They turn it over to law enforcement or they will call a meeting with their opponent and let them know they have something, urging them to clean things up.

[hollodero]

(07-05-2018, 11:43 AM)michaelsean Wrote: Like Christopher Steele or something?  I think that's OK.

Oh yeah, that's a good counter. Dang.
I'd just guess that was a declared expense, while Putin might... but that's all baseless speculation.

[GMDino]

(07-05-2018, 11:43 AM)bfine32 Wrote: I heard Trump had no choice to use the Russian government to spy on Hills; as ours was busy spying on him.

I thought you didn't watch FOX News?

[fredtoast]

(07-05-2018, 11:35 AM)michaelsean Wrote: Getting dirt on someone is not collusion nor illegal.

Then why lie about all the meetings?

Because a foreign national spending money to influence a federal election can be a crime, and if a U.S. citizen coordinates, conspires or assists in the spending then it could be a crime

[Millhouse]

(07-05-2018, 11:43 AM)bfine32 Wrote: I heard Trump had no choice to use the Russian government to spy on Hills; as ours was busy spying on him.

And meeting with a candidates husband on a runway in Arizona. But that was purely coincidental.