U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) joined a bipartisan group of 22 other members serving on the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in calling for the Intelligence Community (IC) to maximize intelligence sharing with America’s Ukrainian and international partners.
The lawmakers also called on the IC to declassify intelligence that reveals Russia’s “malign intentions and actions,” including any potential war crimes, according to a March 21 letter sent to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.
“In this ongoing conflict, each day matters,” the committee members wrote, “and we hope that, in coordination with our diplomats, you consider all the ways in which you can leverage IC capabilities to help save lives of Ukrainian civilians.”
Among the lawmakers who joined Rep. LaHood in signing the letter were U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Michael Turner (R-OH), committee chairman and ranking member, respectively, as well as U.S. Reps. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).
Because Russia has “stepped up the brutality of its unprovoked war” by targeting civilian infrastructure, members of the press, and thousands of innocent civilians, including children, the members said the IC’s “unique capabilities afford it a powerful role in the response to Russia’s actions.”
Toward that goal, they suggested that the IC provide intelligence that could assist in identifying safer evacuation corridors for Ukrainians and their supporters, and to call out Russian violations of any agreed-upon humanitarian ceasefires, according to their letter.
The lawmakers also said that the IC’s declassification of information related to Russia’s planned or actual war crimes or other atrocities could deter the country from continuing down the same path or “further demonstrate to the world Russia’s callous disregard for the lives of civilians.”
Additionally, Rep. LaHood and his colleagues wrote that all elements of the U.S. government should collect and preserve evidence of possible Russian war crimes that could be used in future proceedings.
“If not already underway, we encourage the IC to implement new processes and coordination mechanisms necessary to document and catalog Russian actions in Ukraine that could amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity,” they wrote. “Though the possibility of accountability appears distant today, we have a responsibility to bear witness.”