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The Trump administration is withholding information about Russia’s attempts to interfere in the 2020 election. Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff made the startling claim in an interview.

Schiff, who is chair of the House Intelligence Committee, spoke to Mother Jones’ David Corn about Russian interference. The California representative warned intelligence agencies are not being candid.

There had been “a real constriction of frank and candid information about what the Russians are doing” since President Trump fired Director of National Intelligence Jospeh Maguire.

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“It’s already had that impact,” Schiff said.

Watch the video:

.@RepAdamSchiff tells me that Trump is withholding intelligence from Congress about Russia's continuing effort to intervene in the 2020 election. This is a big deal. Trump is covering up for Putin. https://t.co/6dFmPdoFKJ — David Corn (@DavidCornDC) April 15, 2020

Schiff said he was concerned about Russian interference, especially on social media and through third countries like Ukraine. But he warned the intelligence community wasn’t stepping up.

“Sadly, I think the intelligence agencies may have been among the last to fall in the sense of succumbing to pressure by the Trump administration,” he said.

“But they, like so many other departments and agencies, now are not as forthcoming as they had been, and I think that places the country at greater risk.”

Schiff said tackling Russian interference would take “people of good faith within the GOP to devote themselves to protecting our democracy, not this cult of personality around this president.”

“Maybe the pandemic will bring this about or maybe it won’t. It’s a very difficult job for one party to do.”

President Trump and his allies famously denied that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election. However, the intelligence agencies all agreed the country had done so.

Experts agree Russia is already trying to influence the outcome of Americans’ votes this November.

Follow Darragh Roche on Twitter