Twenty-nine members of the Electoral College have now joined the call for an intelligence briefing on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The collective effort - spearheaded by Rep. Christine Pelosi (D-CA), daughter of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) - was transcribed into letter form yesterday. It boasted the signatures of 28 Congressional Democrats and one Republican... so far.
Specifically, these Electoral College members are asking Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to disclose more information about the CIA's controversial Dec. 10 conclusion: That Russian interference indeed helped sway the election in Donald Trump's favor.
Their stipulations were as follows...
What the Electoral College Is Asking For...
The Electoral College's letter of request began with a lengthy defense of its role in the election process. The members argued that it's their duty not simply to rubber-stamp the Election Day results, but to "investigate, discuss, and deliberate with our colleagues about whom to vote for."
The letter then pointed to Trump's repeated rejection of intelligence assessments suggesting Russia's meddling in the election, as well as his proposal during the campaign that Russia ought to unearth some of Clinton's missing emails.
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On top of that, the Electoral College members noted that Trump had dismissed reports just this past weekend that the U.S. intelligence community had determined Russia intervened in the election to help him win.
Because of these issues, the College members believe the National Intelligence Agency should supply them with the following information from their recent findings...
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- Whether there are ongoing investigations into ties between Donald Trump, his campaign or associates, and Russian government interference in the election
- The scope of those investigations
- How far those investigations may have reached
- Who was involved in those investigations
Additionally, the Electoral College members requested "a briefing on all investigative findings, as these matters directly impact the core factors in our deliberations of whether Mr. Trump is fit to serve as President of the United States."
John Podesta, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's former campaign chair, made a statement to the press yesterday stressing why the College's requests are so urgent and necessary.
"The bipartisan electors' letter raises very grave issues involving our national security," Podesta claimed. "Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we [the Clinton campaign] support their efforts to have their questions addressed."
Podesta went on to explain how the Clinton camp itself tried numerous times to call out Trump's Russia ties before the Nov. 8 national election.
"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," said Podesta. "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."
It was The Washington Post that first reported on the CIA's conclusion last Friday.
Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) joined bipartisan efforts to further investigate the findings, though he did not sign Pelosi's letter.
"We're going to follow the regular order. It's an important subject and we intend to review it on a bipartisan basis," he said.
Up Next
Theoretically, faithless electors can still take the presidency away from Donald Trump and send Hillary Clinton to the White House in 2017.
Here's a look at exactly what would have to happen for that scenario to play out...
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