There’s a new development on the hack of the DNC e-mails. The Hill is reporting that the ranking members of the Senate and House Intelligence committees (Feinstein and Schiff) are requesting that Obama release the intelligence related to the hack:
“Given the grave nature of this breach and the fact that it may ultimately be found to be a state-sponsored attempt to manipulate our presidential election, we believe a heightened measure of transparency is warranted,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) wrote in a Wednesday letter to President Obama.
Feinstein and Schiff are the ranking members of the Senate and House Intelligence committees, respectively.
The two lawmakers asked that the administration declassify any intelligence assessments that could “illuminate potential Russian motivations for what would be an unprecedented interference in a U.S. presidential race, and why President Putin could potentially feel compelled to authorize such an operation, given the high likelihood of eventual attribution.”
I think it’s particularly notable that this is coming from the ranking members of the intelligence committees, as they probably know what this intelligence shows.
With security experts from both sides of the aisle voicing serious concerns, it appears this issue may have some real legs:
William Inboden, who served on the NSC during the George W. Bush administration, said Trump's comments were "tantamount to treason."
"Trump's appeal for a foreign government hostile to the United States to manipulate our electoral process is not an assault on Hillary Clinton, it is an assault on the Constitution," said Inboden, who now teaches at the University of Texas at Austin.
Carl Bernstein’s take (video from CNN here):
Famed reporter Carl Bernstein says Donald Trump’s controversial comments Wednesday on Russia should end his presidential run.
“Today, we have reached a tipping point in this election,” Bernstein said Wednesday on CNN. "This is a disqualifying event for a president of the United States.”
Wednesday, Jul 27, 2016 · 11:30:53 PM +00:00 · pointsoflight
Update:
This diary by SouthSideDem highlighted another element of today’s press conference that’s worth thinking about. Trump also said today that if he were to be elected president, he would consider recognizing Crimea as Russian territory and lifting the sanctions against Russia. Think about that folks. In the exact same press conference in which he asked the Russians—if they’re the hackers—to release any additional information they might have, he talked about ways that Russia would benefit from him becoming president. It’s not far-fetched to see this as Trump basically telling Russia “if you have useful information, release it, I’d love to have it. And if you do, here’s what I can do for you as president.” Recognize Crimea. Lift sanctions. And elsewhere—pull U.S. military support for Ukraine and revisit NATO. Might Trump have laid out a quid pro quo right there for all of us to see?