The Note: Capitol Hill Takes On Russian Hacking

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January 5, 2017

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The Note: Capitol Hill Takes On Russian Hacking

Intelligence Leaders to Speak Out on Russian Hacking

The Senate Armed Services Committee, led by John McCain, is holding a hearing this morning on "foreign cyberthreats," where top intelligence officials will testify before the public. Russia is expected to be the focus of the hearing, which lawmakers will hammer home their conclusions that Donald Trump has been reluctant to accept, report ABC's BENJAMIN SIEGEL. The Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, will testify, as well as officials from the NSA and US Cyber Command. Sen. Lindsey Graham said yesterday that the point of the hearing is to "have the intelligence community reinforce from their point of view that the Russians did this."

Obama to Receive Briefing on Russian Hacking

President Obama is expected to receive a briefing as soon as this morning from his national security team on the intelligence community's report on the alleged Russian hacking of the DNC, ABC's JOHN PARKINSON reports. Multiple senior White House officials refused to confirm the timing or participants of the briefing, insisting White House aides "typically don't preview conversations [President Obama] is having with his national security team in advance." The President has demanded that the report is completed before he leaves office and that it is shared with President-elect Trump as well as top lawmakers on relevant congressional committees.

Developing Now: Dan Coats is Leading Candidate for DNI Spot

Former Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana is a leading candidate for DNI in the Trump administration, according to three senior Trump transition officials. Coats made a visit to Trump Tower late last year and said at the time that he was not seeking a position, ABC's JONATHAN KARL, SHUSHANNAH WALSHE and JOHN SANTUCCI report. He was a member of the Senate Intel Committee during his term. Consideration of Coats comes as Trump and his team consider an overhaul of the DNI, an agency created after 9/11, which coordinates among the nation's intelligence gathering and analysis groups.

Analysis - ABC's RICK KLEIN

Careful what you wish for – and for what you can't see coming. Donald Trump appears to have bailed out House leadership on day one of the new Congress, convincing rank-and-file members to roll back an ill-timed gutting of the House ethics process. But how it went down should serve as a warning to anyone prepared to do business with – or against – Trump. His Tweets, though mild by Trump standard – it's still not clear that he opposes the ethics reforms, or just the timing – scrambled Capitol Hill, making a likely undoing of the changes inevitable. This time, Trump was working on the same side as House Republican leaders. But what about next time? Tweets twisting arms represent a new dynamic for lawmakers to adjust to. With vice-president-elect Mike Pence on the Hill Wednesday to strategize opposite President Obama, it may not be just Democrats who are nostalgic for those good old days.