Burr ready to subpoena Trump on ‘Russian hacking’?

There’s still no evidence worthy of a court hearing that the Russian government covertly affected the integrity of our presidential election.  The publicly-released report from the intelligence community was full of disclaimers about how they don’t stand behind any of the findings. Julian Assange of Wikileaks keeps insisting at the top of his lungs that he did not get the leaked DNC emails from “a state actor” — i.e., a government entity.  (Now the Democrats and useful idiot Republicans pushing this Russian hacking story are suggesting that Wikileaks got the information from a middleman for the Russian government.) 

Speaking of useful idiots, Richard Burr — fresh off his slapfight victory over Debbie Ross — is thumping his chest and working overtime to paint himself as the second coming of Sam Ervin.   (I heard his BFF Lindsey Graham-nesty {RINO-SC] on the radio the other day blasting Russia for ”hacking into our political system.”  Really?  I wish Lindsey and Dick had shown this much interest about the email server in Hillary’s powder room — which contained all kinds of national security secrets and got the bejeezus hacked out of it.)

Here’s our very own Tricky Dick himself: 

[…] “The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) was established to oversee the intelligence activities and programs of the United States Government, and to ensure that the appropriate departments and agencies provide informed and timely intelligence to our nation’s leaders.  The threats and challenges facing our country are numerous, and one of the Committee’s obligations is to ensure that the Intelligence Community is positioned to understand those threats—to the greatest extent possible—and to communicate their assessments of those threats to our nation’s civilian and military leadership so that they may respond accordingly.

[…] The SSCI has focused a great deal of attention in recent years, during my tenure as Chairman as well as under the leadership of former Chairman Feinstein, on Russia’s behavior around the world.  Over the last two years, the Committee has held more than ten hearings and briefings on these issues, with four reviewing Russia’s so-called ‘active measures.’

During the 115^th Congress, the SSCI will continue its review of the intelligence surrounding these issues.  This will include conducting a thorough examination of the underpinnings of the intelligence that prompted the Administration to issue the October 7 statement that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of U.S. political organizations. Among other avenues of inquiry, the Committee will:

• Review the all-source intelligence that informed its assessments, including but not limited to the October 7 statement.
• Review the cyber activity directed against our nation by the Russian Government, both as it regards the 2016 Election and more broadly.
• Hold hearings examining other specific aspects of Russian behavior.
• Interview senior officials of both the outgoing and incoming administrations including the issuance of subpoenas if necessary to compel testimony.

[…] The Committee’s role is not only to ensure that the intelligence provided to policymakers is of the highest quality, but to understand how policymakers use that intelligence.  This includes possible intelligence collected on Russian “active measures” in the US political sphere in 2016.

The Committee will follow the intelligence wherever it leads.  We will conduct this review expeditiously, but we will take the time to get it right and will not be influenced by uninformed discourse.  When appropriate, the Committee will hold open hearings to help inform the public about the issues.  That said, we will be conducting the bulk of the Committee’s business behind closed doors, because we take seriously our obligation to protect sources and methods.  As the Committee’s review progresses, we will keep Senate leadership, and the broader body, apprised of our findings.

Majority Leader McConnell and incoming Minority Leader Schumer have made it clear they expect any review of Russia’s involvement in our nation’s elections to be conducted in a bipartisan manner.  It is a charge the SSCI takes seriously, as bipartisanship—in fact, non-partisanship—is at the very core of the Committee’s charter and is essential to preserving the intelligence equities involved.

Finally, a note about the men and women of the Intelligence Community.  Without exception, I know them to be hard-working, patriotic Americans.  They care deeply about their country, and work every day to keep us safe.  They come from all walks of life and hold views across the political spectrum.  Unlike many in Washington, though, they check politics at the office door and focus on their mission.

They are tasked with keeping our nation’s leaders well-informed about events around the world.  While their failures are often well known, their successes rarely see the light of day.  We would all do well to remember the sacrifices they make on our behalf and keep in mind that what we do with the intelligence they provide is up to us.”