A former CIA official has expressed shock at the lack of concern and coverage regarding Russian election infiltration, calling the act the “political equivalent of 9/11.”
A former high-ranking CIA official has expressed shock at the lack of concern and coverage regarding Russian election infiltration, calling the act the “political equivalent of 9/11.”
Mike Morell, who served as an acting CIA director, told the Cipher Brief, “It is an attack on our very democracy. It’s an attack on who we are as a people. A foreign government messing around in our elections is, I think, an existential threat to our way of life. To me, and this is to me not an overstatement…It is huge...”
Morell also noted that he strongly believes a bipartisan Congressional committee should be established to investigate Russia’s involvement, as has been suggested by many including Republican Senators John McCain and Mitch McConnell.
He believes the focus of such a group should be placed on how such an attack occurred, rather than “…an unknowable thing - which is: did they affect the outcome or not…”
The Washington Post reported on Friday, "Intelligence agencies have identified individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided WikiLeaks with thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others, including Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, according to U.S. officials. Those officials described the individuals as actors known to the intelligence community and part of a wider Russian operation to boost Trump and hurt Clinton’s chances."
In response to the CIA findings, Donald Trump told Chris Wallace of 'Fox News Sunday,' "I think it's ridiculous...It's just another excuse. I don't believe it...Every week it's another excuse. We had a massive landslide victory, as you know, in the Electoral College.”