A GOP-led Senate committee said it backs the conclusion of the US intelligence community that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election to boost Donald Trump â a stand at odds with an earlier finding by Republican members of a House panel.
âThere is no doubt that Russia undertook an unprecedented effort to interfere with our 2016 election,â Sen. Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement Wednesday. âCommittee staff have spent 14 months reviewing the sources, tradecraft, and analytic work, and we see no reason to dispute the conclusions.â
Burr released the statement after panel members held a closed-door meeting with former intelligence officials to review the 2017 intelligence assessment.
Sen. Mark Warner, ranking Democrat on the committee, commended the intel agencies.
âDespite the short time frame they had to prepare it, the intelligence community did a very good job with the ICA,â Warner said in a statement. âAfter a thorough review, our staff concluded that the ICA conclusions were accurate and on point.â
Last month, the House Intelligence Committee said it found no evidence Moscow tried to influence the election in favor of Trump but attempted to sow âchaos and discordâ in the United States.