The Russia connectionTrump has not ordered disruption of Russia election meddling: NSA chief Adm. Rogers
President Donald Trump has not ordered, authorized, or given the U.S. intelligence agencies additional powers to retaliate against Russian meddling and disinformation campaigns, and prevent Russia’s plans to meddle in the 2018 midterm election. Adm. Mike Rogers, director of the NSA and head of the U.S. Cyber Command, said that U.S. weak response to Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and to Russia’s on-going hacking and disinformation campaign, has persuaded Vladimir Putin that there was “little price to pay” for continuing interference in the U.S. political system. “Clearly, what we’ve done hasn’t been enough,” Rogers told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “They have not paid a price that is sufficient to change their behavior.”
Adm Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency and head of U.S. Cyber Command, on Tuesday told lawmakers that he had not been directed by President Donald Trump to take action to disrupt Russian meddling in U.S. elections. Rogers added that U.S. inaction has led Vladimir Putin to the conclusion that there was “little price to pay” for continuing interference in the U.S. political system.
“Clearly, what we’ve done hasn’t been enough,” Rogers told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “They have not paid a price that is sufficient to change their behavior.”
When asked whether he had been granted the authority or given additional powers by Trump to counter Russian cyberattacks at source, Rogers said: “No, I have not.”
“I’ve never been given any specific direction to take additional steps outside my authority. I have taken the steps within my authority, you know, trying to be a good, pro-active commander,” Rogers said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “I have not been granted any additional authorities.”
Rogers added: “I need a policy decision that indicates there is specific direction to do that. The president ultimately would make this decision in accordance with a recommendation from the secretary of defense.”
Trump has dismissed investigations into Russian interference in the U.S. election as “witch hunt” and “fake news.” While Adm. Rogers was presenting lawmakers with the facts about Russia’s broad hacking and disinformation campaign to undermine U.S. democratic processes – a campaign which is on-going, and which is ramping up ahead of the 2018 midterm election — Trump was tweeting quotes from various conservatives who, on Fox News, defended his effort to depict the investigation into Russia’s meddling as a partisan issue. The president signed off his tweet tirade by writing: “WITCH HUNT!”
Security analysts and senior U.S. intelligence officials have said that Trump’s inability to accept and acknowledge the reality of the Russian government efforts to undermine and discredit U.S. democracy, and his refusal to lead a government-wide effort to deal with Russian interference, have hobbled U.S. efforts to deal with the problem.
Trump has so far rejected the consensus of the U.S. intelligence community, and the consensus among U.S. allies, that Russia meddled in the 2016 election in order to help him win the election. He has also refused to take meaningful action to make Russia pay for its transgressions.
