Thread by @BBuchman_CNS

Good morning. We will hear more about the findings in the Mueller Report today despite the protests of many in the GOP and by POTUS.
Guest list below. Hearing starts at 10AM ET. @CourthouseNews

https://twitter.com/BBuchman_CNS/status/1141330937948594177

I will live-tweet today's testimony for those who can't catch the hearing live but if you want to watch it, the committee will stream it here: judiciary.house.gov/legislation/he…

Hearing underway shortly.

We begin. Chairman Nadler has recognized himself first. This is the 2nd hearing in as many weeks to discuss the findings of Mueller's report and to discuss Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The hacking operation by Russians involved the theft of 1000s of documents and impacted the outcome of the election, he says.
Today's hearing will zero in on what Russia did in 2016 and what it will continue to do ahead of 2020.

What are we willing to accept from our leaders? - Nadler

Nadler says he of his Republican colleagues, they acknowledge we were attacked by a foreign adversary and that our elections are not secure, but then they urge Dems to stop taking about the findings of the MR.
And then, to add insult to injury, he adds:

Trump stated in an interview just last week - "They have information, I think I'd take it"- he would be willing to accept information about a political opponent from a foreign adversary.

By stating this, Nadler says, he may well have encouraged more foreign influence ops against the US.

"Trump's willingness to accept foreign assistance with full understanding that he law prohibits it, is shocking. POTUS may want to discard the findings of the Mueller Report but we are not." - Nadler

Ranking Republican Doug Collins is saying that he thought today's hearing was going to be another one on obstruction, says he was "Caught unawares" that today's hearing would be more about foreign interference.

This information was available on the committee's website publicly

Rep Collins says "Dems are angry that Trump is not a Russian asset and dislike him so much they wish he was a foreign agent."
Despite Mueller's conclusions, Collins echoing POTUS saying Dems are pedaling a "Russian conspiracy theory and want to re-do the investigation"

Collins is saying Dems don't want to focus on the border security issue because that would be "too compassionate."
Calls last week's hearing with John Dean a "stunt"

Today's hearing on bipartisan perspectives of the Mueller Report he says is going to be a "Circus"

"Let the show begin" Collins says, relegates the entirety of today's hearing to another "re-run" on summer television programming.

Meanwhile, the panelists who are testifying today include: Carrie Cordero, now general counsel for the Center for a New American Security, a bipartisan national security think tank based in Washington, D.C., previously served as general counsel to ODNI

Richard Hasen is the chancellor's professor of law and political science at the University of California Irvine School of Law; Alina Polyakova is the director of the global democracy and emerging technology division at the Brookings Institution;

and Saikrishna Prakash, a law professor with the University of Virginia School of Law, will also testify.

All are sworn in. First remarks from Carrie Cordero: Regardless of meeting a criminal standard for prosecution, it is disqualifying for a U.S. campaign to accept foreign information.
It simply cannot be for an American political campaign to accept foreign assistance in order...

to win an election. We haven't done a good enough job explaining to the public why foreign influence matters; if they invade media outlets, voter registration and infrastructure, we're not making decisions for ourselves."

"We can't allow them to alter how we interact with each other online/offline."

One cannot faithfully defend the Constitution and be open to receiving foreign assistance at the same time, Cordero adds.

"We cannot write off what transpired in 2016, there no whole of govt strategy to counter foreign influence in governmental elections. No legislation. Instead we have deflection, apathy and inaction." - Cordero

Richard Hasen: US has compelling interest in democratic self-government, banning foreign contributions to U.S. elections, he notes as he quotes from a 2011 ruling by now SCOTUS Justice Kavanaugh. This concept used to be widely well-regarded from Rs or Ds,.

But since Trump, that attitude has broadly shifted, Hasen notes.

"There is no question Russia will interfere again in 2020. The Mueller Report should be a wake up call for all Americans." - Hasen

Hasen emphasizes what Trump said last week, that he would accept foreign assistance "is illegal." The Mueller Report stated this plainly.

There can be no gifts of money or things of tangible value.

Legal or not, foreign government interference undermines democracy. While it was the Russians supporting the Republican candidate in 2016, it could be Russia or another actor supporting a Democrat in 2020 or beyond. - Hasen

Regardless of political party, this should be an issue that gets proper attn, he adds.

Saikrishna Prakash, a law professor with the University of Virginia School of Law, now up. "Russia is engaged in political warfare against Western democracies." Quoting from the Mueller Report directly now:

"It's broader intent is to undermine trust in democratic institutions, values and principles which the Kremlin sees as a threat to its own authoritarian model of control."

Thru digital disinformation campaigns (Internet Research Agency) cyber warfare, political infiltration in campaigns (Manafort) and use of corruption to influence democratic politics - to date, they met many of their main objectives.