Wyden wants public answer on Chinese election interference

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., blasted Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats on Wednesday for refusing to provide an unclassified answer to Senate questions about President Trump’s claims regarding Chinese interference in US elections.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence provided only a classified response Wednesday..

“You can’t have it both ways,” Wyden said. “If the president is making public statements about intelligence issues, there’s no excuse for the DNI to hide under his desk. DNI Coats has an obligation to the American people to provide a public response to our questions, particularly since this is about America’s elections and the security of our democracy.”

“I’m not asking for every word of the letter to be declassified. But at the very least, the DNI should say publicly whether or not the president’s statements are consistent with the government’s intelligence assessments,” the senator added.

Wyden and Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Kamala Harris, D-Calif., asked Coats to provide unclassified assessments regarding whether U.S. intelligence supported Trump’s claims that China interfered in the 20l6 election and is attempting to interfere in the current election.