SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"The only path forward that makes sense," write journalists at The Intercept, "is for Obama to order the release of as much evidence as possible underlying the reported 'high confidence' of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia both intervened in the election and did so with the intention of aiding Trump's candidacy." (Photo: Rachel Johnson/flickr/cc)
Where's the Proof? Calls Grow to Declassify Evidence of Alleged Russian Hack
"There is a disturbing trend emerging that dictates that if you simply demand evidence for this tremendously significant allegation, you must be a Trump apologist or a Soviet agent"
Dec 13, 2016
"Let's have some proof."
That's what some observers are demanding of President Barack Obama, urging him to declassify as much evidence as possible to support CIA claims that Russia interfered in the U.S. elections to bolster President-elect Donald Trump's candidacy.
Ten members of the Electoral College have signed an open letter asking Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to provide them with classified briefings on Russia's alleged hacking during the campaign.
"The Electors require to know from the intelligence community whether there are ongoing investigations into ties between Donald Trump, his campaign or associates, and Russian government interference in the election, the scope of those investigations, how far those investigations may have reached, and who was involved in those investigations," the letter reads.
But in a piece published Tuesday, The Intercept's Jeremy Scahill and Jon Schwarz call for a more general release of such information, "to aid the public debate over interference in our election by a powerful nation state."
"Taking Donald Trump's position--that we should just ignore the question of Russian hacking and 'move on'-- would be a disaster," they write. "Relying on a hazy war of leaks from the CIA, FBI, various politicians, and their staff is an equally terrible idea."
In turn, they argue: "The only path forward that makes sense is for Obama to order the release of as much evidence as possible underlying the reported 'high confidence' of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia both intervened in the election and did so with the intention of aiding Trump's candidacy."
Indeed, some are pointing to a lack of such "hard evidence," while others claim the matter at hand is not, in fact, a "hack," but a "leak."
Meanwhile, Reutersreported exclusively on Tuesday that even "[t]he overseers of the U.S. intelligence community have not embraced" the CIA's assessment of cyber attacks.
Despite these questions, "there is a disturbing trend emerging that dictates that if you don't believe Russia hacked the election or if you simply demand evidence for this tremendously significant allegation, you must be a Trump apologist or a Soviet agent," Scahill and Schwarz say at The Intercept, calling for "anyone [with] solid proof that Russia interfered with U.S. elections, [to] send it to us via secure drop and we will verify its legitimacy and publish it."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
"Let's have some proof."
That's what some observers are demanding of President Barack Obama, urging him to declassify as much evidence as possible to support CIA claims that Russia interfered in the U.S. elections to bolster President-elect Donald Trump's candidacy.
Ten members of the Electoral College have signed an open letter asking Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to provide them with classified briefings on Russia's alleged hacking during the campaign.
"The Electors require to know from the intelligence community whether there are ongoing investigations into ties between Donald Trump, his campaign or associates, and Russian government interference in the election, the scope of those investigations, how far those investigations may have reached, and who was involved in those investigations," the letter reads.
But in a piece published Tuesday, The Intercept's Jeremy Scahill and Jon Schwarz call for a more general release of such information, "to aid the public debate over interference in our election by a powerful nation state."
"Taking Donald Trump's position--that we should just ignore the question of Russian hacking and 'move on'-- would be a disaster," they write. "Relying on a hazy war of leaks from the CIA, FBI, various politicians, and their staff is an equally terrible idea."
In turn, they argue: "The only path forward that makes sense is for Obama to order the release of as much evidence as possible underlying the reported 'high confidence' of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia both intervened in the election and did so with the intention of aiding Trump's candidacy."
Indeed, some are pointing to a lack of such "hard evidence," while others claim the matter at hand is not, in fact, a "hack," but a "leak."
Meanwhile, Reutersreported exclusively on Tuesday that even "[t]he overseers of the U.S. intelligence community have not embraced" the CIA's assessment of cyber attacks.
Despite these questions, "there is a disturbing trend emerging that dictates that if you don't believe Russia hacked the election or if you simply demand evidence for this tremendously significant allegation, you must be a Trump apologist or a Soviet agent," Scahill and Schwarz say at The Intercept, calling for "anyone [with] solid proof that Russia interfered with U.S. elections, [to] send it to us via secure drop and we will verify its legitimacy and publish it."
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
"Let's have some proof."
That's what some observers are demanding of President Barack Obama, urging him to declassify as much evidence as possible to support CIA claims that Russia interfered in the U.S. elections to bolster President-elect Donald Trump's candidacy.
Ten members of the Electoral College have signed an open letter asking Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to provide them with classified briefings on Russia's alleged hacking during the campaign.
"The Electors require to know from the intelligence community whether there are ongoing investigations into ties between Donald Trump, his campaign or associates, and Russian government interference in the election, the scope of those investigations, how far those investigations may have reached, and who was involved in those investigations," the letter reads.
But in a piece published Tuesday, The Intercept's Jeremy Scahill and Jon Schwarz call for a more general release of such information, "to aid the public debate over interference in our election by a powerful nation state."
"Taking Donald Trump's position--that we should just ignore the question of Russian hacking and 'move on'-- would be a disaster," they write. "Relying on a hazy war of leaks from the CIA, FBI, various politicians, and their staff is an equally terrible idea."
In turn, they argue: "The only path forward that makes sense is for Obama to order the release of as much evidence as possible underlying the reported 'high confidence' of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia both intervened in the election and did so with the intention of aiding Trump's candidacy."
Indeed, some are pointing to a lack of such "hard evidence," while others claim the matter at hand is not, in fact, a "hack," but a "leak."
Meanwhile, Reutersreported exclusively on Tuesday that even "[t]he overseers of the U.S. intelligence community have not embraced" the CIA's assessment of cyber attacks.
Despite these questions, "there is a disturbing trend emerging that dictates that if you don't believe Russia hacked the election or if you simply demand evidence for this tremendously significant allegation, you must be a Trump apologist or a Soviet agent," Scahill and Schwarz say at The Intercept, calling for "anyone [with] solid proof that Russia interfered with U.S. elections, [to] send it to us via secure drop and we will verify its legitimacy and publish it."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.