President-elect Donald Trump. Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.
A group of bipartisan electors are now questioning the legitimacy of president-elect Donald Trump’s victory and have demanded that U.S. intelligence officials brief them on reported Russian interference in this year’s presidential election.
According to Politico, 10 members of the electorate on Monday penned an open letter to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper requesting that intelligence officials give them the scoop on any and all ongoing investigations into president-elect Trump and his ties to Russia. Their demands come amid numerous reports that the Kremlin hacked the U.S. election system and swayed results in favor of Trump.
“Despite our protestations, this matter didn’t receive the attention it deserved by the media in the campaign,” Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said in a statement on Monday. “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.”
In their letter, the electors — nine Democrats and one Republican — maintained that the requested intelligence briefing was needed prior to Dec. 19, when the Electoral College is scheduled to cast its votes for or against the real estate tycoon turned president-elect. The highly anticipated votes could prove historic for the nation, as electors have the power to reverse the election results and reject Trump as president-elect.
“The Constitution envisions the Electoral College as a deliberative body that plays a critical role in our system of government, ensuring that the American people elect a president who is constitutionally qualified and fit to serve,” the electors’ letter read.
“The Electors require to know from the intelligence community 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, and who was involved in those investigations,” they added. “We further require 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.”
In addition, the electors asked that the president-elect himself provide evidence that he, his staff nor his advisers accepted Russian intervention or collaborated with the nation in any way during the election and requested that he issue a “conclusive disavowal” of such collusion going forward.
“We hope that the information and actions described in this letter will be provided in an expeditious manner, so that we can fulfill our constitutional duty as Electors,” the letter read.
Among the document’s signatories were electors from five states and Washington, D.C., including Christine Pelosi of California, Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire and Chris Suprun of Texas, the sole Republican elector to sign on and challenge Trump’s election victory. Meanwhile, Politico reported that Clinton, her closest aides and husband, former president Bill Clinton (who also is an elector for New York) have remained relatively tight-lipped about the Electoral College’s next move(s).
The electors’ letter went on to point out Trump’s defiance and denunciation of intelligence investigations into Russia’s interference in the election and his dismissal of recent findings that the communist nation had indeed influenced the presidential race in his favor. It even mentioned Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric encouraging the Kremlin to unearth the 30,000 missing emails belonging to Hillary Clinton.
As usual, the president-elect took to Twitter to voice his frustration over the electors’ accusations and efforts to overturn his election.
Can you imagine if the election results were the opposite and WE tried to play the Russia/CIA card. It would be called conspiracy theory!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2016
Unless you catch "hackers" in the act, it is very hard to determine who was doing the hacking. Why wasn't this brought up before election?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2016
With the day to cast their final votes fast approaching, anti-Trump supporters are working to get at least 37 Republican electors to turn on the president-elect, ultimately blocking his immediate election, according to Politico. However, USA Today reported that next week’s vote is expected to match the number of electoral votes linked to Trump’s results that snagged him a win in the Nov. 8 election.
“The bipartisan electors’ letter raises very grave issues involving our national security,” Podesta said in a statement. “Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed.”
