A bipartisan appeal by senators for a select committee on cyberattacks to probe the possibility of Russian interference in the U.S. election has been rejected by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Washington Examiner reported.
McConnell said there was no doubt that Russia meddled in the elections and that it needs to be investigated, but insisted that a special panel is unnecessary, as the Intelligence Committees in the House and Senate should be the ones to conduct the probe.
He emphasized that those committees are the ones with oversight of the various intelligence agencies and thus should carry out the investigation.
McConnell, who has the power to decide whether to form a new committee, was responding to a plea from Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, along with their Democratic colleagues Chuck Schumer and Jack Reed.
They urged on Sunday in a joint letter, a press conference and appearances on news programs calling for a select committee to investigate the allegation, arguing that cybersecurity is a "cross-jurisdictional challenge" that involves the jurisdiction of numerous congressional panels, CBS News reported.
The senators also stressed that it was imperative that the investigations not take a partisan slant and be done for the national good.
Despite McConnell's refusal to authorize the special panel, one of his close allies, Sen. Cory Gardner, has come out in support of the bipartisan appeal by telling Politico that he intends to introduce a bill calling for a special Senate committee on cybersecurity due to the Russian interference.
President-elect Donald Trump has dismissed the accusations of Russian cyberattacks on the elections as "ridiculous" and just another attempt by Democrats to find an excuse why they lost.
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