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Democrats Press Dan Coats for Details of Trump’s Chinese Election Meddling Claims

Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee ask if intelligence community will back the president

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., joined with his colleague Deb Fischer, R-Neb., to honor the two computer science pioneers. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., joined with his colleague Deb Fischer, R-Neb., to honor the two computer science pioneers. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Three Democratic members of the Senate Intelligence Committee want to know whether the actual intelligence backs up President Donald Trump’s claims of election meddling by the Chinese.

“We are writing with regard to President Trump’s most recent comments on foreign interference in U.S. elections, wrote Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Kamala Harris of California, in a letter released Tuesday addressed to Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.

It was not their first letter, as the three senators pointed out; they wrote to Coats on October 4, seeking any verification of the intelligence regarding China’s efforts to interfere in the U.S. election process after earlier comments from Trump.

Now, the Democrats are adding questions about the president’s comments during an interview with CBS News to that original request.

“In addition to providing a public response to that inquiry, we ask that you address whether the President’s statement on 60 Minutes that China “meddled” in the 2016 U.S. election is consistent with IC assessments,” the senators wrote. “Please provide additional detail and supporting intelligence publicly to the greatest extent possible, and to Congress to the extent necessary to protect sources and methods.”

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