BJ
Obama has ordered a report on the CIA assessment that the Russian Government interfered in the presidential election, and a group of Democrat electors in the Electoral College, notably including such non-partisan people as the daughter of Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi, have written an open letter to the Director of National Intelligence asking for information prior to the Electoral College meeting on 19 December.
The Clinton campaign joined the fray overnight when John Podesta supported the call by the Democrat electors when he said, “The bipartisan electors’ letter raises very grave issues involving our national security, … electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed.” He continued, “Each day that month, our campaign decried the interference of Russia in our campaign and its evident goal of hurting our campaign to aid Donald Trump. Despite our protestations, this matter did not receive the attention it deserved by the media in the campaign. We now know that the CIA has determined Russia’s interference in our elections was for the purpose of electing Donald Trump. This should distress every American.” On any view, the Clinton campaign is now indirectly raising questions about the legitimacy of the Trump presidency, all of which is breathlessly reported in the MSM.
The MSM reporting of the issue is heavily slanted to the CIA’s assessment, and more muted in dealing with the fact that other intelligence agencies did not support the CIA’s assessment, including FBI counter-intelligence officials. The fact that the FBI did not support the CIA assessment apparently frustrated the Democrats, who are now seeking to dismiss that controversy on the basis of cultural differences between the CIA and the FBI; according the Washington Post, the FBI want “tangible facts and evidence to prove something beyond reasonable doubt,” where as the CIA is “comfortable drawing inferences from behavior (sic)”.
That difference is one of real substance, reflecting as it does that law enforcement bodies such as the FBI must operate on the basis that they can prove in a court to the requisite standard the matters upon it relies in seeking an outcome. The CIA faces no such burden, and its assessments are never subjected to any external scrutiny in something so pesky as a court of law that wants real evidence.
Therein lies the rub; the Democrats, the Clinton campaign and the cheer-squads in the MSM are trying to use this controversy to impugn the integrity of the President Elect, attack the legitimacy of the Trump presidency before it has even begun and, if they can, actually stop Trump becoming President by a faithless outcome in the Electoral College. Those are fairly significant things to do, and if ever there was a circumstance where proof to a proper standard is required, this must be it. The outcome of a free and fair election (leaving aside DNC voter fraud) run and won within the laws and Constitution of the United States cannot and should not be impugned or interfered with without conclusive evidence of tampering that actually affected the outcome. The FBI, which confronts those standards day in and day out, says there is no such evidence.
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