D21 Calls on Senate Intel Committee to Investigate Possible Russian Influence over Senate HSC Investigation of Biden
Democracy 21 Calls on Senate Intelligence Committee to Investigate Possible Russian Influence on Senate Homeland Security Committee Investigation of Biden and his Son
Democracy 21 sent a letter to the Acting Chair and Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee today calling on them to immediately investigate possible Russian disinformation influence in the Senate Homeland Security Committee investigation of Democratic presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden and his son.
The letter stated:
According to published reports, there is possible intelligence information that Russian agents may be seeking to corrupt the Senate and its oversight process by funneling disinformation to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in an effort to smear presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and influence the 2020 presidential election.
Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson is leading a Committee investigation into matters involving Ukraine and former Vice President Joe Biden and his son. It is this investigation that is the subject of the possible Russian disinformation efforts. By raising the specter that the Senate Homeland Security Committee is being used as a vehicle to disseminate Russian disinformation, these reports directly threaten the institutional integrity and the security of the Senate and its committee process.
“The Homeland Security Committee investigation being led by Senator Ron Johnson is suspicious in the first place,” said Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer.
“The investigation reeks of political scheming, since Senator Johnson is publicly investigating presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his son right in the middle of the 2020 presidential election. Additionally, the presumed report from this suspect investigation of former Vice President Biden and his son is expected to be released in the closing weeks of the presidential race,” Wertheimer said.
“But if Senator Johnson and the Committee are in fact being manipulated by Russia-sponsored disinformation to help re-elect President Trump, the American people need to know this quickly. The integrity and security of the 2020 presidential election and of the Senate is at stake. The Senate Intelligence Committee must move immediately to get to the bottom of this,” Wertheimer said.
The letter noted:
With the presidential election less than four months away, it is essential for the Intelligence Committee to quickly determine and report to the public if Russia is using the Senate and its Homeland Security Committee to influence the 2020 presidential election. Otherwise, we could face a repeat of what happened in 2016 when Russia interfered in the presidential election without public knowledge of its activities until after the fact.
The letter continued:
In a bipartisan report earlier this year, your Committee unanimously found that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. In February 2020, intelligence officials reportedly informed House lawmakers that Russia is repeating its efforts and attempting to interfere in the 2020 presidential election to try to get President Trump re-elected.
Under these circumstances, it is entirely plausible that Russian agents may be using the Senate to influence the coming presidential election by providing disinformation to the Senate Homeland Security Committee in an effort to steer that Committee’s investigation into smearing Vice President Biden and his family.
The letter stated:
The Intelligence Committee has an obligation to determine if Russia or Russian agents have launched an attack on the Senate, either directly or through its agents, and if so, to defend the institution. The Committee should determine if agents of Russia are using the Senate Homeland Security Committee to discredit and politically harm Vice President Biden in the period immediately prior to the 2020 presidential election.
There should be no doubt that this is a serious matter. If the allegations are correct, this amounts to a direct attack on the Senate by a hostile foreign government. Needless to say, if Russian agents are successful in manipulating a Senate committee to disseminate disinformation in order to affect U.S. elections, there would be incalculable damage done to the Senate as an institution and more broadly to American democracy.
This matter warrants the prompt attention of the Intelligence Committee, both to defend the Senate and to protect the upcoming national elections against foreign attack.
The letter concluded:
Democracy 21 calls on the Intelligence Committee to undertake an immediate investigation of whether Russia or Russian agents are funneling disinformation to the Senate Homeland Security Committee which could affect the presidential election. If such activity is occuring, the Intelligence Committee must immediately, and before the election, take all steps necessary to expose any efforts of Russia to influence the 2020 election and undermine our democracy.
Read the full letter here.
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