Anti-Trump California Congressman calls Obama weak, Admits His Foreign Policy is Responsible For Russians Thinking They Can Meddle in Our Elections

Rep. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.) said Friday that the Obama administration bore some responsibility for the Russian interference campaign in the 2016 election, suggesting its weak response to North Korea's hack of Sony Pictures emboldened the Kremlin.



Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, has been one of the most outspoken members of Congress about Russian meddling efforts and the investigation of possible collusion between Donald Trump's campaign and the Kremlin.



"I do think though that, in fairness, some of the responsibility is also attributed to the Obama administration for not establishing a more forceful deterrent," he said at the Council on Foreign Relations. "I think it goes back to the Korean hack of Sony in which there was a minimal response. I think that others around the world watched that and determined that cyber is a cost-free intervention."



Schiff said cyber attacks have a level of "plausible deniability" but while the U.S. is good at determining who committed an attack, "you don't need to show your hand as long as you can establish a deterrent."