House Speaker Pelosi & Intel Chair Schiff:"The Office of the Director of Nat'l Intelligence has informed us that it will no longer provide briefings to Members of Congress, including the House & Senate Intelligence cmtes, on foreign efforts to interfere in our upcoming election."
Pelosi/Schiff: "This is a shocking abdication of its lawful responsibility to keep the Congress currently informed, and a betrayal of the public’s right to know how foreign powers are trying to subvert our democracy."
Pelosi & Schiff: “We expect the Administration and Intelligence Community to keep us fully and accurately informed, and resume the briefings. If they are unwilling to, we will consider the full range of tools available to the House to compel compliance.” speaker.gov/newsroom/82920
Schumer: "DNI Ratcliffe has made clear he’s in the job only to protect Trump from democracy, not democracy from Trump. Our intelligence officials have said there’s an active, ongoing assault on our democratic process from Russia."
Schumer: "President Trump is simply using John Ratcliffe to hide the ugly truth from the American people - that the president is again receiving the help of the Kremlin."
Schumer: "The DNI has a responsibility to provide these briefings and answer questions before Congress. Failing to do so would be an abdication of the Intelligence Community’s duty to keep Congress fully informed of intelligence matters and to protect our democracy.”
Senate Intel Vice Chair Warner:"The Office of the Director of Nat'l Intelligence has an obligation to brief Congress on threats to our elections. Director Ratcliffe’s outrageous decision to stop providing briefings to Congress is an unprecedented attempt to politicize an issue.."
Warner (D-VA): "...protecting our democracy from foreign intervention that should be non-partisan. Russia interfered in our elections in 2016, and they’re doing it again in 2020."
Warner (D-VA): "One the lessons we should draw from what happened in 2016 is that Congress and the American public need to know more information about the election interference threat — not less.”
Acting Senate Intel Chair Rubio: "Intelligence agencies have a legal obligation to keep Congress informed of their activities. And members of Congress have a legal obligation to not divulge classified information."
Rubio: "In my short time as Acting Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I have witnessed firsthand how this delicate balance has been destroyed."
Rubio: "Divulging access to classified information in order to employ it as a political weapon is not only an abuse, it is a serious federal crime with potentially severe consequences on our national security."
Rubio: "Yet, this grotesque criminal misconduct does not release the intelligence community from fulfilling its legal requirements to respond to Congressional oversight committees and to keep members of Congress fully informed of relevant information on a timely basis."
Rubio:"I have spoken to Dir Radcliffe who stated unequivocally he will continue to fulfill these obligations. In particular,he made explicitly clear that the Senate Select Cmte on Intelligence will continue receiving briefings on all oversight topics, including election matters.”
Acting Senate Intel Chair Rubio: "Democrats and Republicans on our committee will continue to exercise vigorous and thorough oversight over our nation’s intelligence activities in full compliance with our obligations and duties under the law."
Rubio concludes : "And we will continue to expect timely and complete information from our intelligence agencies.”
rubio.senate.gov/public/index.c…
rubio.senate.gov/public/index.c…
