Dems pan intel chief’s move to end vote briefings

Bloomberg

Democrats lambasted a decision by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to no longer provide lawmakers with in-person, verbal briefings on election security ahead of November’s vote, which President Donald Trump said came after “leaks.”
“This is a shocking abdication of its lawful responsibility to keep the Congress currently informed, and a
betrayal of the public’s right to know how foreign powers are trying to subvert our democracy,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a joint statement with Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
The ODNI, led since May by John Ratcliffe, will instead provide written briefings to Congress in the leadup to the November 3 vote, Politico and CNN reported earlier.
Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, called the move “a shameless partisan manipulation to protect the personal interests of President Trump.”
“This is not how democracy works,” the former vice president said. “But it is how American national security and sovereignty are violated.”
Trump addressed the development during brief remarks while observing damage from Hurricane Laura in southeast Texas, saying Ratcliffe wanted to reduce “leaks” coming from Capitol Hill.
“Ratcliffe brought information into the committee and the information leaked,” Trump said.
“Whether it was ‘Shifty Schiff’ or anybody else, they leaked the information before it gets in and what’s even worse is they leaked the wrong information.
He got tired of it and so he wants to do it in a different form.”
The move to restrict briefings comes as congressional Democrats are pushing for more funding for election security and for sanctions against Russia for meddling in the 2016 election.
The ODNI didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.