Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, shot down his claim that it could have been other people besides Russia in humiliating fashion during an interview with NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell.
Video:
Mitchell asked Coats what Trump knows that he doesn’t when the President says that it could be someone else besides Russia who attacked the US election.
Coats answered:
Well, could is not a definitive word here. Could someone else be looking at how to do this relative to our elections? Possibly rogue states, whatever. We know others have potential capability. But it’s undeniable that the Russians are taking the lead on this. Basically they are the ones that are trying to undermine our basic values, divide it with our allies. They are the ones that are trying to wreak havoc over our election process. We need to call them out on that. It’s critical that we do so. And then take steps to make sure that they are not able to do this with the election coming learn the lessons from the past, put in place the things we need to put in place in terms of making sure that we can guarantee to the American public when they walk in that voting booth and cast their vote, however they cast it, it is a valid vote. It will not be tampered with.
Whatever result comes from these elections is something the American people can have confidence in, that it was not manipulated by anyone, whether that was externally or internally. We know politically there have been times when parties have tried to manipulate the votes one way or the other. That simply is not acceptable. The very pillar basics of democracy is the ability to have confidence in your elected officials that they were elected legitimately, and we have to take every effort to ensure that that happens in this upcoming election and future elections.
Trump continues to say that it might not have been Russia who attacked the 2016 election, but his own DNI just called for everything that Trump has rejected. Coats made it clear that it was Russia who attacked the US, and that the Russians need to be called out on it.
If Trump had looked Putin in the eye and been half as tough as his DNI was, the White House wouldn’t be in this mess right now.
It is humiliating that intelligence officials are tougher than the President Of The United States on Putin, and it also signals that the biggest danger to our democracy is the man who is sitting in the Oval Office.
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Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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