Pelosi, Schumer, Schiff, Warner Send Letter to FBI Director Requesting Defensive Counterintelligence Briefing for All Members

Washington, DC – Last week, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting the Bureau provide a defensive counterintelligence briefing before August to all Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate regarding foreign efforts to interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

In the letter, they write:

“We are gravely concerned, in particular, that Congress appears to be the target of a concerted foreign interference campaign, which seeks to launder and amplify disinformation in order to influence congressional activity, public debate, and the presidential election in November.”

The full letter can be found here, and the text is below:

UNCLASSIFIED WHEN SEPARATED FROM ATTACHMENT

July 13, 2020

The Honorable Christopher A. Wray

Director

Federal Bureau of Investigation

935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20535

Dear Director Wray:

We write to request that the Federal Bureau of Investigation provide a defensive counterintelligence briefing to all Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate regarding foreign efforts to interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

We are gravely concerned, in particular, that Congress appears to be the target of a concerted foreign interference campaign, which seeks to launder and amplify disinformation in order to influence congressional activity, public debate, and the presidential election in November.

Given the seriousness and specificity of these threats, as members of congressional leadership and the congressional intelligence committees we believe it is imperative that the FBI provide a classified defensive briefing to all Members of Congress and that the briefing draw on all-source intelligence information and analysis, consistent with due regard for the protection of sensitive intelligence sources and methods.

Due to the ongoing nature of these threats, we ask that the FBI provide this briefing prior to the August recess at the earliest possible opportunity, and that your office outline a plan for the briefing by Monday, July 20.

We appreciate your prompt attention to this important request.

Sincerely,

Nancy Pelosi                                                               Charles E. Schumer

Speaker                                                                       Democratic Leader

U.S. House of Representatives                                   U.S. Senate

Adam B. Schiff                                                           Mark R. Warner

Chairman                                                                     Vice Chairman

U.S. House of Representatives                                    U.S. Senate

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence             Select Committee on Intelligence

Enclosure:       Addendum

CC                   The Honorable John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence

The Honorable Gina Haspel, Director, Central Intelligence Agency

The Honorable Paul M. Nakasone, Director, National Security Agency