‘Deeply disturbing’: ‘Gang of Eight’ Democrats shocked by report on Russians hacking Burisma – Washington Examiner

Top Democratic leaders in Congress said they were caught completely off guard by a report on Russia hacking the Ukrainian natural gas company at the center of President Trump's impeachment.

In back-to-back interviews Monday evening, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed they were only just hearing of the breach when asked by MSNBC host Rachel Maddow.

"I have to say, Rachel, I'm a bit distressed to see this for the first time in a newspaper report. If the intel community is aware of this, that should have been brought to our attention by now," Schiff said.

"But I don't find it surprising. I do find it deeply disturbing, and I would hope that maybe both parties can get out ahead of this, even if the president won't, and condemn any Russian effort to influence the next election," the California Democrat added.

The New York Times reported that researchers from Area 1, a U.S. cybersecurity firm, discovered on New Year's Eve that Russian hackers from the GRU targeted subsidiaries of Burisma as well as Kvartal 95, a Ukrainian television production company founded by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The report, which notes that it is unclear what the hackers were looking for or what they may have found, does not have any immediate comment from the Russian government or Burisma.

Former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, served on the board of Burisma Holdings, a natural gas firm owned by a Ukrainian oligarch, from 2014 to 2019. The impeachment effort began last year after a whistleblower complaint revealed that Trump pressured Zelensky in a July phone call to open investigations into political rivals, including the Bidens, while withholding congressionally approved military aid. The elder Biden is now a Democratic candidate for president.

Both Schiff and Schumer are members of the "Gang of Eight," a bipartisan group of leaders from both parties in the House and Senate with access to classified intelligence. In recent days, Democrats have complained over what they say is the Trump administration's reluctance to share intelligence, particularly after U.S. officials failed to consult Congress before carrying out a drone strike killing Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.

Schiff, suggesting that Trump conveyed a signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin to interfere in the 2020 election, said the first thing he intends to do is communicate with U.S. intelligence agencies to find out if they knew of the reported hack.

Schumer said the news "shows the great need" for Congress to pass election security legislation but cited Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as a "complete ally" to Trump in frustrating those efforts.

In a Sunday interview, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump is "in complete denial" about Russia's attempts to interfere in the 2020 election and accused McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, of being an "accomplice" to Russian interference, claiming that she wonders about his allegiance to the United States.

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'Deeply disturbing': 'Gang of Eight' Democrats shocked by report on Russians hacking Burisma - Washington Examiner