House Democrats to investigate DHS withholding report warning of Russian misinformation attack on Biden
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Wednesday slammed the Department of Homeland Security for not releasing a draft intelligence bulletin that warned of a Russian plan to promote "allegations about the poor mental health" of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
ABC News first reported that the bulletin was written in July by the DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis. After the chief of staff to acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf raised concerns over its contents, ABC News says, the bulletin was never sent to federal, state, and local law enforcement.
Schiff said he found the decision to withhold the bulletin "alarming," adding that the U.S. needs its intelligence agencies "to speak truth to power, and if information is going to be withheld like this, it means they're not doing their job." Schiff said the House Intelligence Committee will investigate the matter to determine if DHS is "being interfered with politically."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
ABC News obtained a copy of the report, titled "Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of U.S. Candidates to Influence 2020 Election," and it stated that analysts had "high confidence" Russia would try to get people to believe Biden is in poor health. The bulletin also included Chinese and Iranian plans to amplify concerns about President Trump's mental health.
A Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News the draft bulletin "lacked the necessary context and evidence for broader dissemination," and that's why it didn't go outside of the intelligence office. Wolf told Fox News the report was "very poorly written," and claimed officials in the office "also had questions about it. They're hard at work on rewriting that report, putting it in better context. I hope to see that record out soon."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Indie film's 'very brief' use of AI sparks backlash and calls for boycotts
Talking Points Did the creators of a new horror movie make a deal with the artificial intelligence devil?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Could Taylor Swift swing the election?
Today's Big Question The pop star has outsized influence — and that extends beyond the music industry
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold Published
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain Prize
Speed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Immigration helped the US economy outpace peers
speed read The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.2% last quarter
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
4-day workweek gets boost from UK study
Speed Read Following a six-month trial, the majority of participating British companies are still using the truncated schedule
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sues to block Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The Federal Trade Commission sued to block the $24.6 billion merger between the grocery giants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Nvidia sees historic stock rise on AI chips success
Speed Read U.S. chipmaker Nvidia achieved the biggest one-day increase in value of any company in history
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York may seize Trump's assets for $450M penalty
Speed Read The former president likely owes $600 million from two civil judgments in New York
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published