Former House Intelligence chair says Russia's meddling was so 'wildly successful' it's still shaping 'legislative process today'

Russia's meddling has extended far beyond the 2016 presidential election, former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) warned Tuesday evening at a panel hosted by Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. In fact, Rogers argued, Russia's interference was so "wildly successful" that it's still shaping Washington discourse — months and months after Election Day.

"Their purpose was to sow discontent and mistrust in our elections, they wanted us to be at each others' throat when it was over," Rogers said, noting the wave of cyberattacks on Democratic political groups and the spread of false information via social media. "It's influencing, I would say, legislative process today."

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who was also a panel discussion participant, agreed that Russia's efforts were a "huge success." "This is the most assertive, most aggressive, and most directly impactful of any engagement that they have had in our elections," Clapper said.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Clapper will testify next week before the Senate Judiciary Committee about Russia's election meddling and whether President Trump's associates may have played a hand in it. Trump has maintained that Russian interference did not boost his chances of winning the White House.