NSA Chief: Trump Has Not Directed Action Against Russian Attacks

Despite that fact that Trump’s top intelligence officials have repeatedly warned that Russia is already trying to interfere in the upcoming election, Trump continues to do nothing to prevent another attack on our democratic process.

 

Today:

 

Trump’s NSA director said that Trump had not granted him the authority to disrupt Russian election hacking operations, despite the fact that we know they are trying to interfere in future elections.

 

CNN: “US Cyber Command chief Adm. Mike Rogers told lawmakers on Tuesday that he has not been granted the authority by President Donald Trump to disrupt Russian election hacking operations where they originate.”

 

Earlier this month:

 

Trump’s top intelligence appointees said they had not been “directed by the president” to address Russian interference, and warned that the administration was “behind the curve” in addressing the threat.

 

Washington Post: “FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said the bureau is undertaking ‘a lot of specific activities’ to counter Russian meddling but was ‘not specifically directed by the president.’”

 

Associated Press: “In a hearing on global threats this month, National Intelligence Director Dan Coats said, ‘There should be no doubt that Russia perceives that its past efforts have been successful and views the 2018 midterm US elections as a potential target for Russian influence operations.’ He said, ‘We are behind the curve in coming to a policy’ to penalize or stop those who interfere.”

 

Trump’s Secretary of State warned that Trump has left the United States ill-prepared to prevent Russian interference, and that Russia is already trying to meddle in the midterm elections.

 

Fox News: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday warned the United States is ill-prepared to prevent Russian interference in the upcoming midterms, as it was in the 2016 general election. […] Russia is already attempting to interfere ‘in the U.S. in 2018’ ahead of congressional midterm elections as it did in the 2016 general election, he said.”

 

Top intelligence officials – including DNI Coats, CIA Director Pompeo, NSA Director Rogers, and FBI Director Wray – all warned that Russia has not relented on their efforts to undermine our elections.

 

The Hill: “National Intelligence Director Dan Coats, along with FBI Director Christopher Wray and CIA Director Mike Pompeo testified before Congress this week that the agencies are expecting 2018 election interference from Russia similar to its efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.”

 

Washington Post: “The nation’s top intelligence chiefs testified Tuesday that they fully expect Russia to seek to disrupt the 2018 midterm elections. Appearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats said that Russia will continue using propaganda, false personas and social media to undermine the upcoming elections. […] His assessment was echoed by all five other intelligence agency heads present at the hearing, including CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who two weeks ago stated publicly he had ‘every expectation’ that Russia will try to influence the coming elections.”

 

A majority of Americans, as well as many state and local officials, were concerned that Trump was not doing enough to safeguard future elections against foreign interference.

 

CNN: “About 6 in 10 Americans say Donald Trump is not taking seriously enough the investigation into Russian efforts to influence the US presidential election, and about the same share lack confidence the president is doing enough to prevent foreign interference in future elections, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.”

 

Associated Press: “Some state and local officials have expressed concerns about Homeland Security efforts to increase communication and cooperation with states about election systems. They have complained that it took the federal government nearly a year to inform them whether their states had been targeted by Russian hackers.”