U.S. seeks new committee to counteract Russian "covert influence"

PanARMENIAN.Net - A provision in intelligence legislation that is going through U.S.Congress would create a new high-level body aimed at thwarting covert Russian political interference around the world, potentially placing it at odds with the incoming Donald Trump administration, The Guardian reports.

The measure, tucked into the fiscal 2017 House and Senate bills authorizing U.S. intelligence operations, would create a powerful new committee across the security services to oppose Russian destabilization measures and propaganda domestically and worldwide.

Its mission – defined broadly and without geographic limitation – is to “counter active measures by the Russian Federation to exert covert influence over peoples and governments”, according to the texts of both the House and the Senate bills, both of which have won the approval of their intelligence committees.

It was first published in June – long before Trump’s election, and his tilt toward Moscow, seemed likely. Such a broad brief could in theory lead to a probe into allegations of ties between Trump’s circle and Moscow, and of Russian attempts to skew the outcome of the presidential vote by hacking Democratic party headquarters and leaking emails, and helping spread fake news.

“If indeed there are ties between the Russian government – and in particular intelligence agents – and people who have worked for Trump or continue to work for Trump, an investigation of this breadth could conceivably pick up information regarding Russia’s attempts or success in influencing American citizens working for Donald Trump,” said Evelyn Farkas, who from 2012 to 2015 was US deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia.

However, after 20 January, the proposed committee would be staffed largely by Trump appointees. As framed in the legislation it would consist of representatives handpicked by the leadership of the FBI, state department, Pentagon, office of the director of national intelligence, justice department, treasury department, the 16 intelligence agencies and any other agency the president designates.

Specifically, the high-level committee would be tasked with “exposing falsehoods, agents of influence, corruption, human rights abuses, terrorism and assassinations carried out by the security services or political elites of the Russian Federation or their proxies”.

Yet its work would not be necessarily limited to exposing such activity. It can be broadened to include “such other duties as the president may designate”, a vague and potentially expansive mandate.