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[maquiladora]

President Obama has directed the intelligence community to conduct “a full review” of the 2016 election in light of reports of Russian interference, homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco said Friday.

The report is expected to be completed and transmitted to Congress before he leaves office Jan. 20.

The news comes as Democrats across Capitol Hill — plus Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) — are clamoring for investigations into reported Russian hacking during the election.

In October, the intelligence community publicly blamed Russia for the hack of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and other political organizations this year, calling the cyberattacks an intentional effort to interfere with the U.S. election process.

A group of Senate Intelligence Committee Democrats, including ranking member Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), has urged Obama to declassify and release “additional information concerning the Russian Government and the U.S. election.”

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) and six other ranking members on Tuesday urged the administration to brief Congress on the matter.

House Oversight Committee ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) have announced legislation to create an independent commission to study Russian interference in the election.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-...-house-orders-intelligence-report-of-election

 

[dreamcastmaster]

Trump was hacked to victory, it's the only explanation.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Good. I hope it proves that Trump didn't win this fairly and causes the electors to tell Trump to fuck off and step aside.

 

[Guevara]

Good to do this, and good to do it under the Obama administration to avert conspiracy theories. (If Trump had done it, no one would trust the results, etc.)

But unlikely to change anything.

 

[Moofers]

Cool, he needed something to read on the toilet on his last day.

 

[meppi]

I want to believe, but it's hard to see how this will make a difference.
Still, this is one of those time where I can't wait to be proven so very wrong.

 

[Akuun]

It likely won't change anything, but it's worth a shot.

 

[Sephzilla]

 

[BigJonsson]

Good to do this, and good to do it under the Obama administration to avert conspiracy theories. (If Trump had done it, no one would trust the results, etc.)

But unlike to change anything.

Trump voters will think it's a conspiracy, and non-voters don't care

 

[Matsukaze]

A lot of Republicans are going to make a fuss about this, aren't they?

 

[balladofwindfishes]

If it was actually found there was tampering, I'm not entirely sure how the country would react. By then, Trump would have been elected by the electoral college... but if those votes weren't valid, then... who even knows.

 

[dapperbandit]

Does this still count as the Bargaining stage of grief?

Can't wait for Acceptance

 

[NegroNinja]

This could turn a shitstorm into an even bigger shitstorm. 2016 is going down in infamy.

 

[manakel]

Ooh, child. I hope this means that they have sufficient evidence to support doing a full investigation.

 

[LegalEagleMike]

I mean once you factor in the millions of illegal votes Hillary got it balances out.

 

[BrutishMrFish]

It's too bad he didn't do anything like this when it actually would have mattered.

 

[jelly]

It will never come to anything because it would dent US democracy. They would rather take it on the chin and not acknowledge it having any bearing on the result.

I'm sure the intelligence agencies knew exactly what they were doing in the US and around the world. They didn't bother to act on it.

 

[minor effort]

A lot of Republicans are going to make a fuss about this, aren't they?

Likely, but at this point Obama and Democrats can't worry themselves into inaction over every Republican pushback.

After all, if the tables were turned on the election's fortunes this year, you think the GOP would take even a hint of foreign interference in an election sitting down?

 

[Gnome Scat]

I guess Jill Stein just made a smooth 7 mil then.

 

[Akuun]

If it was actually found there was tampering, I'm not entirely sure how the country would react. By then, Trump would have been elected by the electoral college... but if those votes weren't valid, then... who even knows.

It's really totally unprecedented at this point, but then there's a ton of stuff surrounding this election that's also unprecedented.

I mean, if proof is found that Russia was releasing propaganda that was proven to sway public opinion, which led to someone being elected when he otherwise wouldn't have... What do you even do from there? Drop the guy who was elected and hold a new round of elections? It's a mind-boggling amount of stuff that could happen.

And yet it's almost certainly better than dealing with 4-8 years of Trump and His New Best Cronies (tm) running the whole country into the ground to line their pockets.

 

[Lil'DigiOp]

Oh Jesus, Obama do something!

I was so fucking scared that he just gave up and was gonna hand over the keys with no sort of effort.

 

[Zaph]

A lot of Republicans are going to make a fuss about this, aren't they?

Yes, because it means reconciling the fact their 'victory' came at the cost of rewriting the ending to the Cold War.

 

[gutter_trash]

one month to go before Flynne pulls the plug

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

If anyone says "fair and square", they're full of shit. Russia, Wikileaks, fake news, FBI, all this illegitimate shit helped elect Trump. (and some of the "far-left" ate it the fuck up too, that's the real tragedy)

 

[Darryl M R]

Don't give me hope like this Barry.

I guess Jill Stein just made a smooth 7 mil then.

The biggest finesse of 2016.

 

[RinsFury]

I desperately want to believe this will amount to something, but Putin no doubt covered his tracks too well. He has been playing this game for a long time, I'm sure they'll find his dirty fingerprints but nothing definitive leading back to him.

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

ya don't say


Way fucking late though, isn't it?


This shit should have postponed the election

 

[ezekial45]

Let's just say if the results of this were to be conclusive to Election tampering.

What would happen?

 

[minor effort]

Let's just say if the results of this were to be conclusive to Election tampering.

What would happen?

Trump's administration would still claim to have a mandate.

 

[rac]

As long as republicans are favored by Russians it wouldn't matter if 100% of trump's votes were illegitimate.

They won't care and their base won't care.

Its sad that our govt. has no protection whatsoever for shit like this and never will as long as they control the votes.

 

[B-Dubs]

Let's just say if the results of this were to be conclusive to Election tampering.

What would happen?

We honestly have no idea, it's never happened before.

 

[Monocle]

As long as republicans are favored by Russians it wouldn't matter if 100% of trump's votes were illegitimate.

They won't care and their base won't care.

Its sad that our govt. has no protection whatsoever for shit like this.

The electoral college? Which serves no function whatsoever if a dangerous unqualified populist is allowed to be inaugurated.

 

[Deaf Spacker]

Let's just say if the results of this were to be conclusive to Election tampering.

What would happen?

WW3.

 

[Luschient]

I mean, if proof is found that Russia was releasing propaganda that was proven to sway public opinion, which led to someone being elected when he otherwise wouldn't have... What do you even do from there?

This investigation sounds like it's not about Russian propaganda but them literally hacking and manipulating the actual election.

And if this is the case, it's unbelievable this isn't a bigger story. If it turns out that Russia did affect the outcome of the election and the GOP still doesn't say shit, I don't ever want to hear them spouting off about democracy and patriotism ever again.

 

[Takuan]

Ooh, child. I hope this means that they have sufficient evidence to support doing a full investigation.

I imagine B-Rock wouldn't have ordered this on a hunch.

 

[Evil Monkey DTT]

I have no faith.... but I would become a full religious man if this happens. Please lord! Convert this nonbeliever and save me, from trump.

 

[ReAxion]

This investigation sounds like it's not about Russian propaganda but them literally hacking and manipulating the actual election.

And if this is the case, it's unbelievable this isn't a bigger story. If it turns out that Russia did affect the outcome of the election and the GOP still doesn't say shit, I don't ever want to hear them spouting off about democracy and patriotism ever again.

I'm already there about every other thing they do.

 

[Sou Da]

Can he even trust the folks looking into this?

 

[RMI]

The electoral college? Which serves no function whatsoever if a dangerous unqualified populist is allowed to be inaugurated.

aren't electors chosen by the legislators though? So if the legislators are corrupt...

am I missing something here?

 

[Extra Sauce]

Can he even trust the folks looking into this?

We can only hope there is a RL equivalent of Fox Mulder at the FBI.

 

[rac]

The electoral college? Which serves no function whatsoever if a dangerous unqualified populist is allowed to be inaugurated.

But that's already happening.

 

[hughesta]

This is the absolute perfect gif

 

[The Elite]

I want to believe so hard.

 

[Melkezadek]

Please. Let us pray.

 

[The Lamp]

If Russsia successfully ruined our election to elect a populist president and it was proven, we would have WW3 on our hands.

 

[SodiumBenzoate]

I have no faith.... but I would become a full religious man if this happens. Please lord! Convert this nonbeliever and save me, from trump.

Even if it proved the election was hacked what do you think those cowards in congress would do about it?

 

[Aselith]

But that's already happening.

That's his point. The electoral college is meant to override this sort of shit.

 

[gwarm01]

If it shows rampant fraud leading to the contesting of the election results... Oh boy. I might need to get out of the country before things get violent.

 

[Vestal]

In all honesty I hope they find nothing. Don't get me wrong I think we are in for some hard times in the next 4 years. I will fight this next presidency with all I have for the next four years and will get as involved as I can in local politics to ensure we come out the other side of this presidency with as little scars as possible. However, the alternative to finding nothing is nightmare fuel and I don't think our country could survive it, not to mention the ramifications to what it could mean to the stability between the US and Russia.

 

[Lexxism]

Shit. If proven that there's something happened, things are going to get ugly.