Trump vs. Congress on Russian hacking

[DonViejo]

The president-elect calls intelligence reports of election meddling ‘ridiculous.’ But prominent senators from both parties disagree.

By SEUNG MIN KIM and BURGESS EVERETT 12/11/16 08:30 AM EST Updated 12/11/16 12:06 PM EST

Influential senators from both parties amplified calls for an independent investigation of Russian meddling in the U.S. election, setting up a clash with President-elect Donald Trump over U.S. policy toward Russia and potentially his pick for secretary of state.

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) issued a joint statement Sunday with the incoming Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, and top Armed Services Committee Democrat Jack Reed of Rhode Island that Russian interference in the election "should alarm every American." They said Congress must investigate further without allowing it to become a partisan issue. But in an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Trump again bluntly dismissed reports of Russian meddling, calling them "ridiculous" and an attempt to undermine his victory. At the same time, Trump's incoming chief of staff suggested the president-elect would not oppose congressional inquiries.

Still, the competing statements from Trump and the bipartisan group of senators sets the stage for a possible showdown over how far Congress goes to investigate Russia's apparent interference in the election. Other Republicans on Sunday joined the calls for a probe or cast doubt on Rex Tillerson, the ExxonMobil CEO with close ties to Vladimir Putin who is reportedly in line to be selected as secretary of state.

The joint statement from the group of prominent senators from both parties will make it difficult for congressional leaders to dismiss the issue.

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http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/democratic-gop-senators-russian-hacking-cannot-become-a-partisan-issue-232475