{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-calls-for-immediate-declassification-and-public-release-of-intelligence-related-to-russian-interference-in-us-election", "Wyden Calls for Immediate Declassification and Public Release of Intelligence Related to Russian Interference in U.S. Election", "2016-12-16", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Ron Wyden", "W000779", "www.wyden.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Friday, December 16, 2016\n            \n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWashington, D.C. \u2013 In response to statements by the executive branch that it may be weeks before new information is released to the public about Russian interference in the U.S. election, Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said the American people cannot wait that long to get the facts.\r\n\u201cThis is a national crisis that must be fully explained to the American people right now,\u201d Wyden said.\u00a0 \u201cWhen a foreign nation interferes in our election, delays and closed-door investigations are not good enough. We cannot continue to sweep this under the rug or to wait until just before inauguration day before leveling with the public.\u201d\u00a0 \r\nThe Intelligence Community last declassified information about the Russian Government and the U.S. election on October 7, 2016.\u00a0 On November 30, 2016, Senator Wyden and other members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence urged the President to declassify and release to the public specific information concerning the Russian Government and the U.S. election.\r\n\u201cAmerican democracy, and its independence from foreign interference, is at stake,\u201d Wyden said.\u00a0 \u201cHistory will not forgive those who kept the facts from the American people.\u201d\u00a0 \r\nImmediate declassification and public release is necessary for the following reasons:\r\n \r\nGiven intense and ongoing public interest in Russian Government interference in the U.S. election, it is critical that the public discussion be informed by facts and the best analysis of the Intelligence Community and the FBI.\u00a0 The longer reliable information is withheld from the American people, the more opportunity there is for misinformation to be disseminated without correction.\r\nTransparency demonstrates to our friends and allies, as well as to our adversaries, how a democracy deals with a threat like this and sends a message of strength and resilience.\r\nDeclassification and public release will allow for open congressional hearings in the weeks ahead.\u00a0 These hearings will allow for a full airing of the threat and its implications.\r\nTransparency about the threat from Russia is required if the public and its representatives in Congress are to assess the incoming administration, its policies and personnel, and consider the nominations of its top officials.\r\nTransparency about the threat posed by Russia is necessary if there is to be public support for a response.\u00a0 Even if that response is secret, policymakers need to know that it is consistent with and proportional to the public\u2019s understanding of the threat.\r\nDeclassification facilitates U.S. cooperation with allies who are rightly concerned about similar attacks on their democratic institutions.\r\nTransparency allows Americans \u2013 from political officials to everyday citizens \u2013 to protect themselves from these kinds of cyber intrusions.\r\nThe country cannot accept a one-time only public release just before inauguration day.\u00a0 Given the president-elect\u2019s dismissal of the Intelligence Community\u2019s assessments, and his transition team\u2019s attempts to discredit the IC, there is a real concern that the incoming administration will either withhold information from the public or release information that differs from IC assessments.\u00a0 These statements also raise concerns about the politicization of IC assessments and political pressure or retribution against analysts.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-calls-for-immediate-declassification-and-public-release-of-intelligence-related-to-russian-interference-in-us-election"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 4.9364157021045685, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}