Time to stop handwringing about Russia and do something serious

When a foreign country is charged with interfering in an American presidential election, as is the case with Russia, it’s time to put aside partisan politics and get down to the business of finding out what happened and why.

At stake is no less than the credibility of our democracy.

Against the backdrop of multiple reports by U.S. intelligence agencies that suggest that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his colleagues have been engaged in highly damaging cyber hacking, we need a nonpartisan, independent, thorough and credible investigation along the lines of the 9/11 Commission.

America has been under attack before, and we know what to do in the face of it.

A 9/11 Commission is exactly the idea behind a bill being introduced by California Rep. Eric Swalwell (D), a member of the House Intelligence Committee and Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings (D) of the House Oversight Committee. Senate members and outside experts are joining the call for a major investigative review of the evidence surrounding Putin’s actions.

A 9/11 Commission-style investigative body would be comprised of 12 members, equally divided between Republican and Democrats. It would be properly staffed with experts and former officials who have dealt with the issues at hand.

{mosads}Senate and House Republicans are trying to argue that they, alone, can handle an investigation in regular order.

That is preposterous.

An internal congressional investigation would be partisan and risk getting buried in regular legislative business. This is too serious to allow one side of the aisle to own the process.

The only way to seriously investigate this Russian scandal is either through a presidential commission or an outside, independent task force. A presidential commission is impossible, given that President Obama can’t do it and President-elect Trump won’t. That leaves us with the independent commission — a solid, transparent alternative. Having helped on the 9/11 Commission, I know that our country is superb at choosing members and giving them to tools to produce a report that Americans can believe.

A bipartisan commission will take time. The goal should not be to change a political outcome but to ensure that our citizens and leaders understand what transpired and how it impacts things like cybersecurity, election law and foreign policy.

As voters, we should be calling and emailing our representatives, demanding the formation of the commission. We have to press the case hard.

America is a strong nation, founded and grounded in democracy. Let’s protect our way of life and ensure that future generations have an independent report that we can rely on both for historical purposes and to navigate the way ahead.

Tara Sonenshine is the former undersecretary of State for public diplomacy and public affairs, and currently serves as senior career coach at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.