Call for a Congressional Investigation: An Open Letter from Concerned Scholars

[norseamd]

Dear Senators and Representatives,

We, the undersigned scholars who conduct research on cyber-security, national defense, authoritarian regimes, and free and fair elections, are deeply troubled by reports of hacking by foreign powers apparently intent on influencing our November 2016 elections. Reports are serious enough that former senior national security aide Michael Allen, as well as Senators Bob Corker and Lindsey Graham, have raised concerns that Russia in particular may have been involved.

We represent a wide range of viewpoints on most issues, but on one point we agree: our polarized political climate must not prevent our elected representatives from doing what is right. In this case, what is right is simple: our country needs a thorough, public Congressional investigation into the role that foreign powers played in the months leading up to November. As representatives of the American people, Congress is best positioned to conduct an objective investigation.

We emphasize that nothing in our collective call for an investigation is meant to question the outcome of the November election. We simply know that turning a blind eye to such involvement would send a global green light to hackers and others intent on undermining our democratic institutions.

Nor do we prejudge the outcome of an investigation. As scholars, we give priority to evidence. The evidence made available in an investigation might show that foreign powers have played an important role, and it might show that such a role was negligible. At this juncture, we can only say that existing reports are plausible enough and publicly expressed concerns are significant enough to warrant Congress’s full attention and swift action.

With concerns rising on both sides of the political aisle about myriad practices that challenge free and fair elections, a public investigation promises to provide the transparency needed to calm Americans’ fears and restore faith in our political process. As voting American citizens, we know that nothing could be more important for our country.

Respectfully,

Abu El-Haj, Tabatha (Drexel Kline School of Law)
Adams, Laura (Institute for International Education, NED)
Ahlquist, John (University of California, San Diego)
Alexander, Shawn (University of Kansas)
Alexseev, Mikhail (San Diego State University)
Andreas, Peter (Brown University)
Ashworth, Scott (University of Chicago)
Avant, Deborah (Josef Korbel School, University of Denver)
Beissinger, Mark (Princeton University)
Bernhard, Michael (University of Florida)
Bondarenko, Eugene (University of Michigan)
Boylan, Jennifer (University of Florida)
Breslauer, George (University of California, Berkeley)
Brockington, David (University of Plymouth)
Brock, Jeffrey (Brown University)
Brooking, Emerson (Council on Foreign Relations)
Bunce, Valerie (Cornell University)
Chenoweth, Erica (University of Denver)
Clunan, Anne (Naval Postgraduate School)
Condit, Deirdre (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Connelly, John (University of California, Berkeley)
Crossley, Pamela Kyle (Dartmouth College)
Darden, Keith (American University)
Diamond, Larry (Stanford University)
Diaz-Cayeros, Alberto (Stanford University)
Duvanova, Dinissa (Lehigh University)
Eppinger, Monica (Saint Louis University)
Fidelis, Malgorzata (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Finnin, Rory (Cambridge University)
Fish, Steven (University of California, Berkeley)
Fredrikson, Matt (Carnegie Mellon University)
Froitzheim, John (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Frye, Timothy (Columbia University)
Gehlbach, Scott (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
George, Julie (CUNY)
Gerber, Theodore (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Goldberg, Robert A. (University of Utah)
Goldman, Eric (Santa Clara University School of Law)
Gorenberg, Dmitry (Harvard University)
Graney, Kate (Skidmore College)
Greene, Samuel (King's College London)
Greenspan, Elizabeth (University of Pennsylvania)
Grossman, Guy (University of Pennsylvania)
Grzymala-Busse, Anna (Stanford University)
Guyster, William M. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Hands, Nicole (Purdue University)
Hatcher, Laura (Southeast Missouri State University)
Henry, Laura (Bowdoin College)
Herman, Rebecca (University of California, Berkeley)
Herrera, Yoshiko M. (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Hoffmann, Matthew (University of Toronto)
Holiman, Alan (William Jewell College)
Holmgren, Beth (Duke University)
Hirsch, Herbert (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Ilnytzkyj, Oleh (University of Alberta)
Isaac, Jeffrey (Indiana University)
Judge-Lord, Devin (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Kelertas, Violeta (University of Washington)
Kempner, Joanna (Rutgers University)
Kinsella, Helen M. (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Kopstein, Jeffrey (University of California, Irvine)
Kravets, Nadiya (Harvard University)
Labonte, Melissa (Fordham University)
Ladokhin, Alexey (University of Kansas)
LeBas, Adrienne (American University)
Levi, Margaret (Stanford University)
Levinson, Chad (University of Chicago)
Levitas, Anthony (Brown University)
Levitsky, Steven (Harvard University)
Livezeanu, Irina (University of Pittsburgh)
Lobasz, Jennifer K. (University of Delaware)
Lynch, Julia (University of Pennsylvania)
Marcolli, Matilde (Caltech)
Markowitz, Lawrence (Rowan University)
McFaul, Michael (Stanford University)
McLean, Eden (Auburn University)
Meserve, Joy (University of California, San Diego)
Meyers, Tom (Miami University (Oxford))
Newmann, William W. (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Novy, Marianne (University of Pittsburgh)
Omelicheva, Mariya Y. (University of Kansas)
Orttung, Robert (George Washington University)
Pearce, Katy (University of Washington)
Pepinsky, Thomas (Cornell University)
Perrin, Andrew J. (University of North Carolina)
Peterson, Maya (University of California, Santa Cruz)
Pylypiuk, Natalia (University of Alberta)
Richter, James (Bates College)
Roberts, Kenneth (Cornell University)
Rodine-Hardy, Kirsten (Northeastern University)
Saivetz, Carol (MIT)
Schaffer, Frederic (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
Schatz, Edward (University of Toronto)
Schmemann, Alex (George Washington University)
Schoenman, Roger (University of California, Santa Cruz)
Shapiro, Jacob (Princeton University)
Shevel, Oxana (Tufts University)
Shore, Marci (Yale University)
Sievers, Sara (Notre Dame University)
Singh, J.P. (University of Edinburgh and George Mason University)
Slater, Dan (University of Chicago)
Smith, Benjamin (University of Florida)
Snyder, Timothy (Yale University)
Sokhey, Sarah Wilson (University of Colorado, Boulder)
Solonari, Vladimir (University of Central Florida)
Sperling, Valerie (Clark University)
Staniland, Paul (University of Chicago)
Svolik, Milan (Yale University)
Tan, Amy (New York University)
Tillman, Erik (DePaul University)
Triesman, Daniel (University of California, Los Angeles)
Truex, Rory (Princeton University)
Twigg, Judy (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Van Horn, David (University of Maryland)
Vlasic, Mark (Georgetown Law)
Way, Lucan (University of Toronto)
Wedeen, Lisa (University of Chicago)
Weeks, Jessica (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Weiss, Meredith (University at Albany, SUNY)
Welch, David (University of Waterloo)
Weldon, Laurel (Purdue University)
Werner, Cynthia (Texas A&M University)
White, Bebo (Stanford University)
Wishnick, Elizabeth (Montclair State University)
Wong, Wendy (University of Toronto)
Yang, Jean (Carnegie Mellon University)

(126 signatures, current as of Wednesday November 23 at 2:45PM)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1...hr1wG4Kz8Nw58lTGFabrcZprUkYw/viewform?c=0&w=1

 

[Double Trouble]

We already feel pretty confident that the Russians were behind some of the hacks and leaks. If so, they tried to influence the election by leaking damaging information. What am I missing here, what exactly would such an investigation accomplish?

 

[sandorski]

We already feel pretty confident that the Russians were behind some of the hacks and leaks. If so, they tried to influence the election by leaking damaging information. What am I missing here, what exactly would such an investigation accomplish?

Clarity.

 

[sportage]

What the scary thing is, exactly WHY would the Soviets want Donald Trump as the president in the first place?

Do they expect to get something from Trump?
Or do they realize the damage Trump would do to American democracy?
Or, was it just some test only to see if they actually could influence an American presidential election?

If they do want something, I expect that would be for America to turn a blind eye when the Soviets decide to invade and takeover their bordering countries.

Or, maybe they plan to expand their missile base into other countries, namely back into Cuba?

Or, maybe the Soviets believe they can influence American democracy to do as the Soviets do, to crack down and hunt down gays and other so called undesirables.

But whatever their reason, exactly why any communist country would want Donald Trump to become the US president is in fact the 25000 dollar question.
And now that Trump is president, that should concern people very much.

 

[Grooveriding]

I think that is pretty obvious. America is going to be weaker with Trump as President. He has no experience, he's easily manipulated and pandered to by nutcupping him, his economic policies are not feasible and/or will weaken the American economy. This is the guy who talked about building up the military to be the biggest and best 'so no one will mess with us'. The American military is already the biggest most bloated social program in the world and already accounts for the largest military force and military expenditure by orders of magnitude over any other nation.

A massive military already does nothing to prevent terrorist attacks if that was his dog whistle with that promise. Bush wasted trillions committing war crimes and killing close to half a million in Iraq, meanwhile the culprit for 9/11 ended up being dealt with by a small group and probably cost a few tens of millions in operational costs.

This is just a good example of how Trump spewed inane bullshit that would just strike the right chords with the far right leaning base who doesn't think, but likes the way GREAT BIG ARMY GUYZZZ feels when they hear it. Realistically the best policy would actually be a President who wants to come in and slash the military budget in half and use the money for useful social programs that have impact at home, instead of an ever bloating military that sits and does nothing until some half wit comes to power and decides to go stomp on a third world country that has no chance of defending themselves.

Putin is a titan in contrast to Trump and handling international affairs and running a country. Russia's strength grows when America's position weakens. With the sort of cabinet Trump is filling out, his lack of experience and the narcissist in him. All it will take is some small event, or a manufactured excuse, and he'll be looking for a chance to use military force. It will be his ultimate penis extension for his frightened manhood.

Just like Iraq, America will be left weaker for whatever military escapade Trump could find himself in. Citizens dead, trillions squandered, more blood on the hands and a reputation even further degraded if that's even possible at this point. Russia will sit back and watch.

 

[norseamd]

What the scary thing is, exactly WHY would the Soviets want Donald Trump as the president in the first place?

Do they expect to get something from Trump?
Or do they realize the damage Trump would do to American democracy?
Or, was it just some test only to see if they actually could influence an American presidential election?

If they do want something, I expect that would be for America to turn a blind eye when the Soviets decide to invade and takeover their bordering countries.

Or, maybe they plan to expand their missile base into other countries, namely back into Cuba?

Or, maybe the Soviets believe they can influence American democracy to do as the Soviets do, to crack down and hunt down gays and other so called undesirables.

But whatever their reason, exactly why any communist country would want Donald Trump to become the US president is in fact the 25000 dollar question.
And now that Trump is president, that should concern people very much.

Soviets? Have you never realized Soviets havent existed for over 25 years?

 

[imported_tajmahal]

Can't they just leave Hillary alone ? Hasn't she suffered enough? Yeah i know that the Clinton Foundation probably sold illegal influence to foreign governments when she was the Sec. of State and there was clear quid pro quo, but this country just doesn't need to have her dragged through the mud with a fishing expedition like this.

 

[JSt0rm]

Can't they just leave Hillary alone ? Hasn't she suffered enough? Yeah i know that the Clinton Foundation probably sold illegal influence to foreign governments when she was the Sec. of State and there was clear quid pro quo, but this country just doesn't need to have her dragged through the mud with a fishing expedition like this.

There you go reading that fake news again

 

[imported_tajmahal]

There you go reading that fake news again

No there really is a call for a Congressional investigation by "concerned scholars". Here's the link.
http://green.trendolizer.com/2016/1...n-an-open-letter-from-concerned-scholars.html

 

[JSt0rm]

i was talking about this

Yeah i know that the Clinton Foundation probably sold illegal influence to foreign governments