Re today's @NCSCgov statement, I always want to be deferential to those with access to classified information. But with DNI John Ratcliffe in charge of the enterprise, I'm challenged not to be skeptical.

Today's statement certainly doesn't leave me feeling reassured.

Start with the superficial issue of order. China first? (And, no, it's not alphabetical). It lends the false impression that Beijing's interference is more aggressive than Russia's. And the rest of the statement offers no comparative language to counter that. Not unintentional.

Then, of course, there's the issue of preference. What strikes me is the formulation that translates to "China wants Trump to lose; Russia is denigrating Biden." Why not the apples-to-apples formulation: "China wants Trump to lose; Russia wants him to win"?

It's not impossible the intelligence speaks more to Russia's tactics and less to its objectives, but -- from everything that's been reported and from what we know from 2016 -- I find that hard to believe.

Then there's issue of Beijing's preference. This is the conclusion I have the hardest time with. After all, semi-official voices in China have spoken openly of their preference for Trump, who -- until campaign season and COVID damage control -- caved to Xi on every major issue.

Trump asked Xi -- publicly and in private -- to interfere on his behalf, and even Larry Kudlow admitted on national TV that Xi told Henry Kissinger that he (Xi) would rather deal with Trump. https://www.c-span.org/video/?467573-1/henry-kissinger-met-chinese-leader-twice-white-house

I hope the Congressional Oversight Committees engage deeply with the underlying intelligence because this doesn't smell right. And there's no issue more important than this.