NEW YORK, Aug 31 (TNS): The United States\u2019 top intelligence official is scaling back its election security briefings to Congress, saying he was concerned that lawmakers had leaked sensitive classified materials to the public.<\/p>\n
John Ratcliffe, the Director of National Intelligence, told Fox News that he will continue to keep Congress informed via written reports and will continue to brief relevant congressional committees.<\/p>\n
The move has enraged congressional Democrats, who have long charged the Trump administration with downplaying what they call foreign interference in the upcoming presidential election, especially by Russia.<\/p>\n
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said in a statement that the Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) canceled separate briefings that had been scheduled for September before the intelligence committees and all members of Congress.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a shocking abdication of its lawful responsibility to keep the Congress currently informed, and a betrayal of the public\u2019s right to know how foreign powers are trying to subvert our democracy,\u201d Schiff and Pelosi said.<\/p>\n
Senator Marco Rubio, acting chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, and Senator Mark Warner, the committee\u2019s vice chairman, released separate statements on the administration\u2019s decision, with Rubio excoriating those who leak classified information while urging Ratcliffe to \u201ccontinue to fulfill\u201d his obligations to fully brief Congress, and Warner casting the decision as \u201coutrageous\u201d and \u201can unprecedented attempt to politicize\u201d the issue.<\/p>\n
ODNI officials were particularly angry about a leak from an all-House classified briefing led by top counterintelligence official Bill Evanina late last month, where Pelosi accused him of keeping Americans in the dark about the details of Russia\u2019s continued interference in the 2020 campaign.<\/p>\n