Key Takeaways from the House Intelligence Committee Hearing on Russian Influence in the 2016 Election

This is my opinion, based on my viewing of the 5.5 hour hearing.

I think it is safe to say that this is the first of multiple days of hearings in the House. There were more questions than answers, and Director Comey did not answer many questions because of at least one ongoing investigation.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has a hearing scheduled for March 30, with a slightly different focus.

The focus of today's hearing was:

• What actions did Russia undertake against the United States during the 2016 election campaign, and did anyone from a political campaign conspire in these activities?
• Were the communications of officials or associates of any campaign subject to any kind of improper surveillance?
• Who has leaked classified information?

It was clear from the questions asked that there is a sharp partisan divide on this committee. The key pieces of information gathered, in my estimation, were:

• There was active interference in the U.S. election by Russia designed to help Donald Trump and to hurt Hilary Clinton. This fact was clearly agreed to by the two witnesses. Hacking into servers was done to both Republican and Democrat targets. Only information from Democrats was "weaponized" to influence voters.
• There is an active, ongoing FBI counterintelligence investigation into members of the Trump campaign and their connections with Russian interference in the 2016 electon. Director Comey answered no questions that could influence the investigation. He did confirm that the investigation began in  July or 2016.
• President Obama did not, and could not have, ordered a wiretap of candidate Trump or Trump Tower. The British did not, and would not have, wiretap Trump or Trump Tower for President Obama.
• Russia did not successfully hack individual voting machines in the U.S. There was hacking or attempted hacking into the voter registration rolls in some states.

Several of the Democratic representatives asked questions they knew could not be answered in an unclassified hearing, to get the questions and the issues into the public record.

Several of the Republican representatives pursued lines of questioning regarding leaks of classified material. Notably, Chairman Nunes asserted that the Steele dossier was leaked material. However, that document was never a government document and was not classified. The information leaked regarding the Steele dossier was that the incoming and outgoing presidents were both briefed on the contents of the dossier, in a two page summary provided at the end of an intelligence briefing they each received separately. Some members of Congress have suggested that the information may have been leaked by the White House. Once CNN broke the story that the dossier existed, Buzzfeed published it. The author of the dossier, ex-British MI6 officer Christopher Steele, may testify at the Senate hearing March 30.

The character of this hearing was uncomfortably partisan, with Democrats appearing to want to go on the record with names and dates of Trump team involvement with Russian officials, and the Republicans wanting to make a case for prosecuting leakers, including potentially members of the press and of the security agencies. It seemed clear to me that an independent investigation may be necessary to get to the bottom of the Trump=-Russia story, and to prevent foreign meddling in our elections in the future.

Names brought up by Democrats as possible players in the Trump-Russia hacking story (and potential witnesses at subsequent hearings) were:

• Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
• Campaign manager from March to August 2016 Paul Manafort
• Campaign aide from March to September 2016 Carter Page
• Trump administration aide Michael Caputo
• Trump adviser and long-time friend Roger Stone
• Trump campaign adviser and fired National Security Adviser Michael Flynn
• President Trump

Witnesses Comey and Rogers were specifically asked about Tweets that the President made beginning at 6:30 am (ET) the morning of the hearing. Comey and Rogers stated that they had not had time to read the Tweets and had no comment.