Evanina’s answer came in response to the first question asked — by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) — at the election security briefing for all senators. Pierson did not say that Russia had taken steps based on that preference to intervene on behalf of Trump, an intelligence official said. ADSoon after , Trump replaced his then-acting director of National Intelligence, Joseph Maguire, whom he apparently blamed for Pierson’s briefing, with Richard Grenell, a Trump loyalist and the U.S. ADMaura Beard, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), said in a statement that the agency never told Congress that Grenell would participate in the briefing. “There is another Russia, Russia, Russia meeting today,” Trump tweeted Tuesday morning.

Source: Washington Post March 10, 2020 16:38 UTC