The intelligence official who told lawmakers Russia was meddling in the 2020 election to help Donald Trump win a second term is said to have overstated the country’s role.
Shelby Pierson, who serves as the intelligence community’s top election security official, told lawmakers last Thursday that Vladimir Putin’s regime was resuming its efforts to interfere in American politics.
The House Intelligence Committee was told at a closed-door briefing that Russian operatives were trying to influence the 2020 race in Trump’s favor and sow discord in the U.S. electorate, as spy chiefs believe they did in 2016.
But sources now say the ‘intelligence doesn’t say that’, CNN reports.
One told the network: ‘A more reasonable interpretation of the intelligence is not that they have a preference, it’s a step short of that. It’s more that they understand the President is someone they can work with, he’s a dealmaker.’
Another said Pierson’s briefing was ‘misleading’ and lacked ‘nuance’ on the issue.
The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., tweeted in the wake of the news: ‘Good thing for these bureaucrats there’s no consequences for being wrong and getting the entire country into hysteria for 3 years… as long as it’s against Trump!
‘Imagine what would happen to them if they did this to Obama? They are a disgrace and an embarrassment to the USA.’
Shelby Pierson, left, told lawmakers last Thursday that Vladimir Putin’s regime was resuming its efforts to interfere in American politics to help Donald Trump, right, win a second term
The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., tweeted in the wake of the news
Republicans on the committee defended Trump while the president reacted angrily after discovering that chairman Adam Schiff, with whom he clashed during the impeachment process, had received the briefing.
Pierson chairs the Election Executive and Leadership Board, which was created in July 2019 to specifically deal with election security matters. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has not commented on the latest reports.
The New York Times said that Pierson’s conclusion had set off a row among members of the Intel Committee.
Republicans on the committee, including ranking member Devin Nunes, attended the briefing and challenged Pierson about the conclusion.
They argued that Trump had taken action against Russia and improved European security.
‘The Republicans went nuts,’ one member said.
‘Another misinformation campaign is being launched by Democrats in Congress saying that Russia prefers me to any of the Do Nothing Democrat candidates who still have been unable to, after two weeks, count their votes in Iowa. Hoax number 7!’ Trump lamented on Twitter Friday morning.
The president earlier denied getting told by to intelligence officials that Russia is intervening in the 2020 primaries.
‘Nobody said it to me at all,’ Trump told reporters at the White House Sunday as he departed for a trip to India, asked if he has been briefed that Russia is trying to help Sanders.
He also blasted House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, saying: ‘They leaked it – Adam Schiff and his group, they leaked it to the papers as usual. They ought to investigate Adam Schiff for leaking that information. He should not be leaking information out of intelligence. They ought to investigate Adam Schiff.’
Trump’s remarks about intelligence briefings were echoed by Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, who told ‘Fox News Sunday’: ‘The intelligence community has not told us that Russia is trying to elect Donald trump.’
Asked if he was concerned about Russian interference in the elections Sunday, Trump instead spoke about efforts he thinks the Democrats are undertaking to deprive Sanders the party’s nomination.
‘I think what it could be, the Democrats are treating Bernie Sanders very unfairly. And it sounds to me like a leak from Adam Schiff because they don’t want Bernie Sanders to represent them,’ Trump said. ‘It sounds like it’s ’16 all over again for Bernie Sanders. And he won he had a great victory yesterday. But you know what’s happening, you can see the handwriting on the wall,’ he added.
President Trump congratulated Bernie Sanders on his victory in the Nevada caucuses
Shelby Pierson is the intelligence community’s top election security official
Trump blew up at acting national intelligence director Joseph Maguire in the Oval Office last week over what the president perceived as staff disloyalty, citing Pierson’s briefing.
That ruined Maguire’s chance of becoming the permanent intelligence chief, sources told The Washington Post.
Maguire was recently ousted from his acting post and U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell was appointed in his stead as Trump continues to search for a permanent director.
Russia also dismissed the claims. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the denial at a press conference today where he labeled the claims ‘paranoid announcements’.
‘Unfortunately, there will be more and more of [them] as we get closer to the elections,’ he said in Moscow.
‘Of course, they have nothing to do with the truth.’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had tweeted that, ‘American voters should decide American elections – not Vladimir Putin.’ She added that all members of Congress ‘should condemn the President´s reported efforts to dismiss threats to the integrity of our democracy & to politicize our intel community.’
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chairman of the House intelligence committee, tweeted: ‘We count on the intelligence community to inform Congress of any threat of foreign interference in our elections. If reports are true and the President is interfering with that, he is again jeopardizing our efforts to stop foreign meddling. Exactly as we warned he would do.’
Trump accused Rep. Adam Schiff of leaking information about a classified briefing on Russian intentions for 2020
President Donald J. Trump (2-L) and First Lady Melania Trump (L) walk to Marine One as they depart the White House for a trip to India, in Washington, DC, USA, 23 February 2020. Trump plans to spend a single night in India
Pierson told NPR in an interview that aired last month that the Russians ‘are already engaging in influence operations relative to candidates going into 2020. But we do not have evidence at this time that our adversaries are directly looking at interfering with vote counts or the vote tallies.’
Pierson, appointed in July 2019 by then-Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, works with intelligence agencies like the CIA, the FBI, the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security to identify anyone seeking to interfere with U.S. elections.
Pierson told NPR that the U.S. doesn´t know exactly what the Russians are planning, but she said it´s not just a Russia problem.
‘We´re still also concerned about China, Iran, non-state actors, hacktivists and frankly – certainly for DHS and FBI – even Americans that might be looking to undermine confidence in the elections.’