Former CIA operative calls for new round of votes after intelligence agencies conclude Russia interfered in the elections with the goal of seeing Donald Trump win

  • Robert Baer appeared on CNN on Sunday calling for a new round of voting
  • He said: 'If we had been caught interfering in European elections or Asian elections...those countries would call for new elections. Any democracy would'
  • He added: 'If the evidence is there, I don't see any other way than to vote again' 
  • He also urged CIA to release intelligence before electoral college vote on Dec 19
  • Previous assessments said Russia simply wanted to undermine US democracy
  • Trump dismissed claims and said it was 'another excuse' for Democrats, adding that he believed that rival politicians had spread the news

By Jessica Chia For Dailymail.com

Published: 22:08 EST, 11 December 2016 | Updated: 08:00 EST, 12 December 2016

Former CIA operative Robert Baer (above) has called for a new round of voting in the presidential election after evidence sufaced suggesting Russia meddled in the result 

A former CIA operative has called for a new round of voting after intelligence agencies concluded that Russia interfered to make sure Donald Trump got into the White House.

Robert Baer appeared on CNN on Sunday and said: 'If we had been caught interfering in European elections or Asian elections or anywhere in the world, those countries would call for new elections. And any democracy would.'

He also urged the CIA to release evidence of the Kremlin's influence before members of the electoral college cast their ballots on December 19.

Baer, a 21-year veteran of the CIA who received a Career Intelligence Medal after retiring in 1997, said he was 'deeply disturbed' by Moscow's meddling.

While he conceded that 'we'll never be able to decide whether they changed the outcome', he said evidence should be released before the electoral college votes. 

 'The electoral college before the 19th has got to know, whether the Russians had an effect, if they went to Wikileaks, whether they hacked email, and whether they affected American opinion.'

'And they had a good reason to go after Hillary Clinton. Putin hates her for the Ukraine,' he added, in a reference to Clinton's stance on the Crimean crisis.

 The CIA told Senators that Russia's interference with the presidential elections went beyond an attempt to undermine American democracy as a whole - and actively favored Donald Trump

Clinton previously announced her commitment to defend Ukraine 'in the face of Russian aggression' and vowed to strengthen the US' relationship with the county if elected. 

When Baer was pressed about the feasibility of holding another presidential election, he emphasized that the legitimacy of the government was in doubt while conceding that he wasn't sure how it would work constitutionally.

But he said: 'I'm deeply disturbed by the fact that the Russians interfered, and I would like to see the evidence. If the evidence is there, I don't see any other way than to vote again.'

While Obama has ordered a review of the cyber attacks that targeted Democratic organizations and operatives during the 2016 elections, and members of Senate have demanded a bipartisan inquiry into the matter, Trump dismissed the claims.  

'I think it's ridiculous. I think it's just another excuse. I don't believe it,' the president-elect said during an interview with Fox News Sunday that was taped the day before.

'I don't know why and I think it's just - you know, they talked about all sorts of things. Every week it's another excuse.' 

 Obama is also pushing for a full review, with the goal of publishing the findings before Trump's inauguration on January 20

When asked whether he thought that the CIA was trying to overturn the election results, Trump said he didn't think 'they're saying anything'.

'If you look at the story and you take a look at what they said, there's great confusion. Nobody really knows, and hacking is very interesting,' he said.

'Once they hack if you don't catch them in the act you're not going to catch them.

'They have no idea if it's Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place. I mean, they have no idea.' 

He also said that he believed Democrats were behind the reveal of the CIA's assessment of the hacks.

'I'm not sure [the CIA] put it out,' he said. 'I think the Democrats are putting it out because they suffered one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics, and frankly I think it’s ridiculous.'

 He also said he would be making 'changes at the top' in the intelligence community, 'because we have our people and they have their people.'

His transition team also issued a statement that read: 'These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," before adding, "It's now time to move on and 'Make America Great Again.'"

THE FULL STATEMENT BY SENATORS  MCCAIN, GRAHAM, REED AND SCHUMER ON THE NEED FOR AN INVESTIGATION

Washington, DC - US Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Senate Democratic Leader-elect, and Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services released the following joint statement today in response to news reports on the CIA's analysis of Russian interference with the 2016 election: 

'For years, foreign adversaries have directed cyberattacks at America's physical, economic, and military infrastructure, while stealing our intellectual property. 

'Now our democratic institutions have been targeted. Recent reports of Russian interference in our election should alarm every American.

'Congress's national security committees have worked diligently to address the complex challenge of cybersecurity, but recent events show that more must be done. 

'While protecting classified material, we have an obligation to inform the public about recent cyberattacks that have cut to the heart of our free society. 

'Democrats and Republicans must work together, and across the jurisdictional lines of the Congress, to examine these recent incidents thoroughly and devise comprehensive solutions to deter and defend against further cyberattacks.

'This cannot become a partisan issue. The stakes are too high for our country. 

'We are committed to working in this bipartisan manner, and we will seek to unify our colleagues around the goal of investigating and stopping the grave threats that cyberattacks conducted by foreign governments pose to our national security.' 

 

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