Dem senator: Declassify election interference intel ASAP

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) argued that the Obama administration must immediately declassify all national intelligence related to possible Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election.

“This is a national crisis that must be fully explained to the American people right now,” he said in a statement Friday. “When a foreign nation interferes in our election, delays and closed-door investigations are not good enough. We cannot continue to sweep this under the rug or wait until just before inauguration day before leveling with the public.”

{mosads}“American democracy, and its independence from foreign interference, is at stake. History will not forgive those who kept the facts from the American people,” Wyden continued.

Pressure is mounting on President Obama and the intelligence community to further explain their findings about Russia’s efforts to undermine or sway the election.

A CIA assessment has reportedly concluded that Russia intruded in the election to help Donald Trump win the White House, and intelligence agencies have identified various Russian individuals who leaked hacked documents form multiple Democratic sources to WikiLeaks. Other reports say that intelligence officials believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin was directly involved in the scheme. 

Compromised sources included the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta.

Multiple lawmakers and President Obama have since called for a full analysis of what role Russia had in making Trump the president-elect.

Wyden was one of seven senators on the Intelligence Committee who last week called on the Obama administration to declassify “specific” information about the election.

Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), meanwhile, introduced legislation last week to create an independent investigation for probing the matter.

The structure of the nongovernmental panel would be modeled after the 9/11 commission, and it would include 12 bipartisan members. So far GOP leadership seems to be planning to keep any investigation under the purview of the Intelligence Committee.

Trump has fiercely rejected the CIA’s findings, calling them “ridiculous” and “another excuse” from Democrats disappointed by his victory, and Russia has denied the accusations.

Reports emerged Friday, however, that both FBI Director James Comey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper stand by the CIA’s assessment.