“Some have tried to spin this that he didn’t really win, it was something that was externally orchestrated by Russian involvement,” Mr. Burr said. “The fact is they didn’t alter the vote count in any way, shape or form. I wish the president would take that at face value and understand he got more electoral votes, he got sworn in as president, he is president, he won it, he earned it.”

“I want to separate that from the threat that Russia presents us because we have got to go through this process. We need to be punitive to make sure this doesn’t happen in the future,” he said.

Some have questioned whether the committee has the personnel to do such a complex investigation. But Mr. Burr strongly defended his staff and said that deep expertise in intelligence matters has put the Intelligence Committee well ahead of other inquiries, including that of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel appointed by the Justice Department.

“These are some of the smartest, most dedicated people,” said Mr. Burr. “They had no learning curve that they had to go through. They have been able to read intelligence products and understand what they meant. I am sure Bob Mueller is going through a situation with the special counsel’s office where he is bringing in lawyers that have never read an intelligence report, who are having to turn to somebody to get them to explain what it means. That is a reason we have had almost 100 interviews to date.”

“I’m not sure that anybody that’s got an investigation going on is currently anywhere near where we are in this process,” he said.

During his re-election campaign last year, Mr. Burr said it would be his last and that he did not intend to run again in 2022. In the interview, he hedged on whether that decision allowed him more freedom in running the investigation.

“I am not sure whether I was running or not running I would necessarily pick this as an exercise I would like to go through,” he said. “It is the one I’ve been dealt and it is the reason the committee exists. Not to do it or to do it in less than a total way would be to ignore the responsibility I’ve been given.”