New Hampshire’s members of the Electoral College are requesting an intelligence briefing on Russia’s alleged involvement in the U.S. presidential election.
In a letter to James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, the electors say they should be provided more details on the scope of investigations into Russian government interference in support of Donald Trump before their scheduled vote on December 19th.
“The Electors require to know from the intelligence community whether there are ongoing investigations into ties between Donald Trump, his campaign or associates, and Russian government interference in the election, the scope of those investigations, how far those investigations may have reached, and who was involved in those investigations," the letter states. "We further require a briefing on all investigative findings, as these matters directly impact the core factors in our deliberations of whether Mr. Trump is fit to serve as President of the United States."
The letter is signed by ten electors from five states, including all four of New Hampshire's electors. The Electoral College consists of 538 members who cast the official vote for president based on the Election Day results in their home state. In New Hampshire, they include Carol Shea-Porter, who recently won back her seat in Congress; former New Hampshire House Speaker Terie Norelli; and former Executive Councilors Dudley Dudley and Bev Hollingworth.
“This isn’t a political thing, as far as I’m concerned, because it really should concern every American citizen that any country could try to influence our election in any way,” says Hollingworth.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign released a statement earlier today in support of an intelligence briefing for Electors. Clinton narrowly defeated Donald Trump in New Hampshire.
The letter also states that the group of Electors will reach out to Trump for evidence that he and his staff “did not accept Russian interference, or otherwise collaborate during the campaign.”
In statements made over the weekend, Trump cast doubt on reports that intelligence officials have evidence of Russian involvement.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, are calling for separate congressional investigations into the claims.
