Senator Bob Corker held a press conference, in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, after touring the areas affected by a recent string of wildfires in Southeast Tennessee on November 21, 2016. NASHVILLE - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., says that regardless of whether Russia interfered in this year's U.S. elections to benefit President-elect Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin has already won a "victory" by sowing confusion and discord among Americans.
Corker also said in his Wednesday interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that his committee intends to "get to the bottom" of a CIA assessment saying the interference was intended to help Trump.
"We're going to find out," said Corker, who was at one time on Trump's short list for secretary of state. "You have the office of the Director of National Intelligence that says no [on Russia seeking to help Trump]. You've got the CIA that says yes. You've got the FBI that has a different take."
Other U.S. intelligence agencies and the FBI have stopped short of endorsing the CIA's assessment. But they do agree Russia interfered by hacking targets, including the Democratic National Committee and Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta, which were hit when unflattering details were released by Wikileaks.
Corker said he realizes that's "frustrating to people," noting "these entities all operate in a different manner" in terms of how they draw conclusions. "But look, we're going to get to the bottom of it."
But the key point, the former Chattanooga mayor said, is the Russians succeeded in their aim.
"They've caused the American people to question the integrity of the electoral process in our country. That is a win for an autocrat [Putin] that doesn't have real elections."
Trump has dismissed the CIA's findings as "ridiculous."
When the allegations first emerged in October, the Russian government denied involvement.
Reuters this week reported that because the FBI has evidentiary standards that require it to make cases that can stand up in court, agency officials have declined to accept the CIA's analysis. Reuters cited three unnamed officials saying the CIA was relying on deductive assessment of available intelligence.
Corker's committee plans hearings in January. The Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees also plan to conduct reviews.
Three top Senate Democrats called this week for the creation of an independent, nonpartisan commission to investigate the leaks, but since the GOP controls the Senate and House, Democrats may find little traction. President Barack Obama has ordered a review, with a report due to him before he leaves office Jan. 20.
During the MSNBC interview, Corker said "cyberhacking" has become the go-to method of collecting intelligence.
"When I make a call I'm assuming that plenty of people are attempting to listen to my phone calls. I mean, that's the way that intelligence is gathered," he said.
"But at the end of the day, trying to understand what Russia is doing, not only here in the United States but in elections around the world, is an important thing for us to know, right?" Corker argued.
Corker also described Trump's secretary of state pick - ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson - as "an incredible leader."
Some have questioned Tillerson's ties to Putin: His company sought work in Russia, and Tillerson battled U.S. economic sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Crimea.
"I think people want to hear how he views our relationship with Russia," Corker said.
"If you look at President-elect Trump, he's a 'prolific deal-maker.' It's all about deals. But there's a lot of norms that have driven our policy, a policy toward Europe for 60 or 70 years, since World War II, that matter. These alliances matter. So I think people are going to want to understand how he will be advising the president."
Contact staff writer Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow on Twitter @AndySher1.