Trump intel chief defends briefings ban, Democrats raise subpoena threat

By David Morgan

 

FILE PHOTO: Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe arrives to brief Congressional leaders on reports that Russia paid the Taliban bounties to kill U.S. military in Afghanistan, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 2, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's intelligence chief on Sunday defended his decision to cease in-person Congressional briefings on election security, while Democrats said the move would suppress critical information about foreign election meddling and warned they may subpoena testimony.

 

John Ratcliffe, the president's new director of national intelligence and a close Trump ally, accused U.S. lawmakers of leaking classified information from a July 31 briefing to promote what he called false narratives for political purposes.

 

"A number of members of Congress went to a number of different publications and leaked classified information, again, for political purposes, to create a narrative that simply isn't true, that somehow Russia is a greater national security threat than China," Ratcliffe told Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures.

 

Ratcliffe is a former lawmaker who defended Trump during Congressional probes into Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election.

 

Democratic lawmakers accused Ratcliffe of trying to block them from questioning intelligence officials in a bid to conceal information on how Russia has been interfering in the 2020 presidential election to help Trump, as it did in 2016.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump's intelligence chief on Sunday defended his decision to cease in-person Congressional briefings on election security, while Democrats said the move would suppress critical information about foreign election meddling and warned they may subpoena testimony. This report produced by Yahaira Jacquez.

 

"You can say things in a written report that are not correct, and you can't be subject to questioning about it," Representative Adam Schiff, Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN's State of the Union program.

 

"When you can hide behind documents or withhold documents and not have to answer questions about it, it lets you conceal the truth. And in this case, concealing the truth is concealing Russians are again intervening to help the president in his re-election," he said.

 

Schiff denied leaking any classified information from the July briefing.

 

“I haven’t, my staff hasn’t. I can’t speak for what all the members of the committee have done or not done, including a lot of the Republican members,” he said.

 

The intelligence community has warned that Russia is trying to "denigrate" Trump's 2020 Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, and that Iran and China are also trying to sow disinformation. [nL1N2F91Z9] [L2N2EV1EF] Schiff vowed he would "compel" the intelligence community to hand over information to Congress on the threat, including potentially through the use of subpoenas.

 

Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, a former presidential candidate, told ABC's "This Week" that Ratcliffe's decision was an "outrage" at a time when multiple foreign governments were trying to "break into" the Nov. 3 election, and that it was "crazy" that the House may be forced to subpoena him.

 

However, Senator Ron Johnson, Republican chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, played down the significance of Ratcliffe's decision when speaking with CNN's "State of the Union" program, saying that the Democratic response had been "blown so way out of proportion."

 

A bipartisan investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee found this month that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to help Trump at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin. [nL1N2FK1CK]

 

(Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Michelle Price and Bill Berkrot)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-08-31

 

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2 hours ago, webfact said:

John Ratcliffe, the president's new director of national intelligence and a close Trump ally, accused U.S. lawmakers of leaking classified information from a July 31 briefing to promote what he called false narratives for political purposes.

How about the president? Does he also leak classified information when he feels like it?

But then again, he makes up whatever BS he feels like.

Humm......... let me see......cast doubt on election check disrupt the post office to suppress votes and force people to risk their lives to vote check solicit foreign interference in the election check stop any and all safeguards to protect the election from foreign interference check now we have withholding information on foreign interference to keep the electorate ignorant of said interference check well that looks like an attempt to rig the election to me 

Edited August 31, 20205 yr by Tug

17 minutes ago, Tug said:

Humm......... let me see......cast doubt on election check disrupt the post office to suppress votes and force people to risk their lives to vote check solicit foreign interference in the election check stop any and all safeguards to protect the election from foreign interference check now we have withholding information on foreign interference to keep the electorate ignorant of said interference check well that looks like an attempt to rig the election to me 

Seems like this is the only thing the Donald seems to have well organized and under control, and probably even cares about. 

 

Isn't Joe Biden and the Democrat Party that's encouraging everyone to stay safe and work from home? As for their subpoena threats, one would have thought they learned how hollow they are from Trump and his administration's ignoring them.

Edited August 31, 20205 yr by Pattaya Spotter

Again we see a key government job held by a "Supporter and ally  of Trumps" In past governments these positions have been held by career public servants. Once again Trump throws out convention and appoints someone who will jump to his every bark. So much for draining the swamp. Trump still refuses to use a government secure phone, so there is a good chance he is the source of the leak if there is a leak.But then a telephone call directly to Putin can hardly  be called a leak. More like reporting in for further instruction.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

"A number of members of Congress went to a number of different publications and leaked classified information, again, for political purposes, to create a narrative that simply isn't true, that somehow Russia is a greater national security threat than China," Ratcliffe told Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures.

Does it matter which is the greater threat; when they both pose a threat?  I note he hasn't said Russia is not a national security threat, just that China is bigger.  Doesn't really make a difference whether you meet a tiger or a lion, both can kill.

54 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Isn't Joe Biden and the Democrat Party that's encouraging everyone to stay safe and work from home? As for their subpoena threats, one would have thought they learned how hollow they are from Trump and his administration's ignoring them.

Ignore subpoenas, law and order gone.

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

How about the president? Does he also leak classified information when he feels like it?

But then again, he makes up whatever BS he feels like.

Technically, the POTUS decides what is classified. If he 'leaks' classified information, it becomes unclassified.

The issue with Trump is when he does so for his personal benefit and not for any strategic benefit for the American people. 

4 hours ago, Sujo said:

Ignore subpoenas, law and order gone.

There is no authority for Congress to issue subpoenas (and certainly not to a co-equal branch of government) in the Constitution. 

1 hour ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

There is no authority for Congress to issue subpoenas (and certainly not to a co-equal branch of government) in the Constitution. 

Wrong. Supreme court doesnt agree with you.

I think the general public should be kept informed. I wonder why Trumpers are against it, as they claim that China supports Biden.

 

Who knows what can happen? China could open fake Facebook and Twitter accounts and finance ads in order to influence elections.  China could also hack the DNR server and leak disturbing information. It could even secretly meet with the Biden campaign in order to give them information against Trump.

 

I know it looks completely unrealistic as such things never happen, but who knows? ????

Edited August 31, 20205 yr by candide

1 hour ago, Sujo said:

Wrong. Supreme court doesnt agree with you.

Wrong...that's why the Court has never forced any Trump Administration officials to testify before any of Nancy's kangaroo committees and their investigations...and also why she never went to court to enforce any of their subpoenas. She knew she'd loose and set a bad precedent.

Edited August 31, 20205 yr by Pattaya Spotter

1 hour ago, candide said:

I think the general public should be kept informed. I wonder why Trumpers are against it, as they claim that China supports Biden.

 

Who knows what can happen? China could open fake Facebook and Twitter accounts and finance ads in order to influence elections.  China could also hack the DNR server and leak disturbing information. It could even secretly meet with the Biden campaign in order to give them information against Trump.

 

I know it looks completely unrealistic as such things never happen, but who knows? ????

They are being kept informed...just not in person. They are free to submit written questions, which will be answered. There is a covid pandemic about.

7 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

They are being kept informed...just not in person. They are free to submit written questions, which will be answered. There is a covid pandemic about.

Not according to Trump it went away last Easter

Edited August 31, 20205 yr by Meat Pie 47

8 minutes ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

Not according to Trump it went away last Easter

Trump changed the name to "Chaina Virus" so of course it has gone.

 

The rest of the world is suffering from Covid -19. 

21 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

They are being kept informed...just not in person. They are free to submit written questions, which will be answered. There is a covid pandemic about.

Maybe Trump should stop having his Covidpalooza events like in NH a couple of days ago and have the Maganese send in their worship in written adulation....then Dear President can respond...in the words of some guy from Pattaya very recently "There is a covid pandemic about".

"President Trump is hoping Vladimir Putin will once more boost his candidacy and cover his horrific failures to lead our country through the multiple crises we are facing. And he does not want the American people to know the steps Vladimir Putin is taking to help Trump get re-elected," Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said in a statement.

biden what a idiot,why would a intel agency describe in detail,publicly,  steps other countries are taking to undermine our system! imop  

 

Grinell said this has been a problem in referring to the DNI decision 

 

“I think that he’s reading exactly the problem and trying to find the solution. When I was there for a short time, I had career intelligence officials come to me and say, ‘I don’t really want to brief Congress anymore, because they manipulate my words, they manipulate and leak out partial information, and they’re ruining my career.’ 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/john-ratcliffe-says-he-has-filed-crimes-reports-over-leaks-of-classified-intelligence

 

Good decision ,only a few(dem and gop) can be trusted with intel, according to the dni

 

 

2 hours ago, riclag said:

"President Trump is hoping Vladimir Putin will once more boost his candidacy and cover his horrific failures to lead our country through the multiple crises we are facing. And he does not want the American people to know the steps Vladimir Putin is taking to help Trump get re-elected," Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said in a statement.

biden what a idiot,why would a intel agency describe in detail,publicly,  steps other countries are taking to undermine our system! imop  

 

Grinell said this has been a problem in referring to the DNI decision 

 

“I think that he’s reading exactly the problem and trying to find the solution. When I was there for a short time, I had career intelligence officials come to me and say, ‘I don’t really want to brief Congress anymore, because they manipulate my words, they manipulate and leak out partial information, and they’re ruining my career.’ 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/john-ratcliffe-says-he-has-filed-crimes-reports-over-leaks-of-classified-intelligence

 

Good decision ,only a few(dem and gop) can be trusted with intel, according to the dni

 

 

Uhhhh perhaps to keep the American people informed about hostile foreign powers influencing the election for starters and just maybe inform us of how trump is trying to use that influence and other corrupt means to rigg our election we all know trump has fought tooth and nail any legislation to protect our elections no sir we need to know what the hostile players are trying to do 

17 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

There is no authority for Congress to issue subpoenas (and certainly not to a co-equal branch of government) in the Constitution. 

I hate being right all the time...

 

POLITICO: D.C. Circuit panel guts House subpoena power.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/31/dc-circuit-panel-kills-house-subpoena-power-406140