Senator Mark Warner Lashes Out At Trump
The Senate Intelligence Committee has concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election and many believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin was directly involved in the conspiracy. Now, the Trump administration is trying hard to undercut the investigation by forcing the intelligence agencies to reveal the name of the anonymous source used by the FBI to conclude that Russia meddled in the 2016 election.
According to a report by the Washington Post, the anonymous source is a U.S. citizen. This person has provided information over the years to both the FBI and the CIA.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to criticize the Russia probe. He said that the so-called informant had improperly spied on his campaign in 2016 and said that the ensuing scandal would be “bigger than Watergate!”
Senator Mark R. Warner, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, lashed out at the president and the GOP for trying to undermine the investigation. He said, “The first thing any new member of the Intelligence Committee learns is the critical importance of protecting sources and methods. Publicly outing a source risks not only their life but the lives of every American, because when sources are burned it makes it that much harder for every part of the intelligence community to gather intelligence on those who wish to do us harm.”
Last month, the House Intelligence Committee panel’s Republican chairman, Devin Nunes, instructed the Justice Department to reveal the unredacted copy of the document that initiated the FBI’s investigation of links between Russia and President Donald Trump’s campaign. He also threatened to exhaust “all appropriate legal remedies,” including civil action in federal court, if the agency does not provide the document.
I want answers about the Trump Administration’s failure to implement sanctions against Russia that Congress passed last year.
These sanctions aren’t optional. They’re the law of the land, and the President is required to follow them. Period. https://t.co/mb246nIql6
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) May 18, 2018
“It would be at best irresponsible, and at worst potentially illegal, for members of Congress to use their positions to learn the identity of an FBI source for the purpose of undermining the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in our election. Anyone who is entrusted with our nation’s highest secrets should act with the gravity and seriousness of purpose that knowledge deserves,” said Senator Warner.
