House Intelligence Chair Devin Nunes, R-Calif., has asked National Intelligence Director James Clapper to address his committee in response to reports about Russia’s alleged attempts to manipulate the U.S. election last month, according to a letter sent Monday.
Nunes said new media reports indicate officials in the FBI and CIA are sending “divergent messages” about Russia’s role in the WikiLeaks and cyberattacks incidents.
“On November 17, 2016, you told the committee during an open hearing that the IC [intelligence community] lacked strong evidence connecting Russian government cyber-attacks and WikiLeaks disclosures, testifying that ‘as far as the WikiLeaks connection, the evidence there is not as strong, and we don’t have good insight into the sequencing of the releases or when the data may have been provided,'” Nunes wrote in the letter. “According to new press reports, this is no longer the CIA’s position.”
Nunes requested Clapper brief the committee by Dec. 16 on the intelligence community’s assessment of these allegations and update the committee on the status of the Obama administration’s plans to investigate the incidents.
“Furthermore, I am deeply concerned that these press reports may contain unauthorized disclosures of both classified IC information and the contents of closed intelligence committee proceedings,” Nunes wrote. “Additionally, if true, reports of conflicting IC assessments call into question the effectiveness of the IC’s analytic coordination process regarding this crucial issue.”
The committee has issued a Jan. 13, 2017 deadline for the Office of Analytic Integrity and Standards to provide a review of whether classified information was disclosed to the media, and a separate assessment of its investigation into the charges against Russia.
Top House officials said on Monday they are already conducting investigations into the cyberattacks.
