memeorandum: Trump sparks imitator in Ohio Senate race (Lisa Hagen/The Hill)

11:45 AM ET, December 11, 2016

Top Items:

Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:

FBI and CIA give differing accounts to lawmakers on Russia's motives in 2016 hacks — In a secure meeting room under the Capitol last week, lawmakers held in their hands a classified letter written by colleagues in the Senate summing up a secret, new CIA assessment of Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election.

Discussion: RedState, BizPac Review, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Liberal Values, Hot Air and ThinkProgress

Burgess Everett / Politico:

Democratic, GOP senators: Russian hacking ‘cannot become a partisan issue’ — Four high-profile Democratic and Republican senators said Sunday that Russian interference in the election “should alarm every American” and that Congress must investigate further without allowing it to become a partisan issue.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Week, The National Interest, ABC News, NBC News, Talking Points Memo and Hollywood Elsewhere

Benjamin Siegel / ABC News:

Bipartisan Senate Group Calls for Probe of Russian Hacking in US — A group of Democratic and Republican senators are calling for bipartisan support for an investigation into cyberattacks against the United States by foreign governments following reports of alleged Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Discussion: Associated Press, armed-services.senate.gov and Daily Kos

Fox News:

Trump: Claims of Russian interference in 2016 race ‘ridiculous,’ Dems making excuses — President-elect Donald Trump, in an exclusive interview with “Fox News Sunday,” decried as “ridiculous” the CIA's reported assessment that Russia intervened in the election to boost his candidacy …

Discussion: The Atlantic, Political Wire, The Gateway Pundit, The Week, TheBlaze, Washington Post and EgbertoWillies.com

Lauren Duca / Teen Vogue:

Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America — In this scorched-earth op-ed, Lauren Duca takes on Trump's systematic attempts to destabilize the truth and weaken the foundation of American freedom. — The CIA officially determined that Russia intervened in our election, and President-elect Donald …

Discussion: Mashable and Raw Story

Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:

Donald Trump Ties C.I.A. Reports on Russian Meddling to Democrats' Shame — WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that he did not believe American intelligence assessments that Russia had intervened to help his candidacy …

Discussion: Political Wire, NBC News, Washington Post, The Hill and The Daily Caller

CNN:

Bipartisan group of senators calls for probe of Russian role in 2016 US elections — (CNN)A bipartisan quartet of high-profile senators said Sunday that “recent reports of Russian interference in our election should alarm every American.” — The group — two Republicans and two Democrats …

Discussion: alan.com

The Daily Beast:
How Russian Hackers Can Blackmail Donald Trump—and the GOP

Discussion: ABC News, Washington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog, Slate, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Politico, emptywheel, RedState, Hot Air and Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Trump, Mocking Claim That Russia Hacked Election, at Odds with G.O.P.

Discussion: Business Insider, alan.com, Balloon Juice, Politicus USA and The Mahablog

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
Intel world struggles to crack the code of an untrusting Trump

Discussion: Washington Post

Julia Ioffe / Politico:

What It Really Means to Be a ‘Friend of Putin’ — In June 2008, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson attended the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Russia's answer to Davos, its way of showing itself to the world as the kind of economic powerhouse that can attract executives like Rex Tillerson to its banquets.

Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:
McMullin: ‘Trump is not a loyal American’

Discussion: RedState, alan.com, Raw Story, TheBlaze and Hot Air

Tom Boggioni / Raw Story: Intelligence expert: Trump's choice of Putin buddy to head State adds to his White House ‘Kremlin cabal’

Ken Meyer / Mediaite:
Chris Wallace Asks Trump: Why Pick Business Exec. Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State?

Discussion: The Week, alan.com and New York Times

Rebecca Morin / Politico:
McCain: Tillerson relationship with Putin a ‘matter of concern’

Discussion: TheBlaze, Facebook, The Hill and BizPac Review

Harper Neidig / The Hill:
McCain: Tillerson ties to Putin a ‘matter of concern’

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite, ThinkProgress, alan.com, ABC News, MSNBC, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Hit & Run and RedState

New York Times:
Rex Tillerson, Exxon Chief, Is Expected to Be Pick for Secretary of State

Discussion: The Guardian, Israpundit, CNN, Business Insider, BizPac Review, New York Magazine, Talking Points Memo and NBC News

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Who is Rex Tillerson, the ExxonMobil chairman who may become secretary of state?

Discussion: The Guardian, The Last Tradition, Politico, Mashable, Business Insider, Political Wire, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Week

Steven Mufson / Washington Post:
Trump expected to pick ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state

Discussion: RedState, NPR, TheBlaze, Daily Kos, NBC News, Political Wire and Patterico's Pontifications

Steve Holland / Reuters:
Trump likely to name Exxon CEO secretary of state - source

Discussion: Mother Jones

Richard Rainey / New Orleans Times-Picayune:

John Kennedy defeats Foster Campbell for Louisiana's open U.S. Senate seat — Donald Trump thanks supporters and rallys for John Kennedy in Baton Rouge rally — Donald Trump and US Senate candidate John Kennedy wave to supporters during a Get Out the Vote rally Friday, December 9 …

Discussion: Hot Air and The Gateway Pundit

Thomas Gibbons-Neff / Washington Post:
Louisiana Republican wins final unsettled U.S. Senate race

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Advocate

Associated Press:
Republican John Kennedy Wins Louisiana Senate Race in Runoff

Discussion: Politico and The Guardian

Jennifer Jacobs / Bloomberg:

Rick Perry Said to Be Trump's Top Candidate for Energy Secretary — Democratic Senators Manchin, Heitkamp also under consideration — President-elect met with contenders at Army-Navy game — Donald Trump has narrowed his search for energy secretary to four people …

Discussion: alan.com and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Lisa Hagen / The Hill:

Trump sparks imitator in Ohio Senate race — Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel (R) is looking to replicate Donald Trump — 's campaign strategy, hoping to reap the benefits of the president-elect's success in his second Senate bid. — Mandel is looking to unseat Sen. Sherrod Brown

Discussion: alan.com

Nicholas Kristof / New York Times:

The Dangers of Echo Chambers on Campus — After Donald Trump's election, some universities echoed with primal howls. Faculty members canceled classes for weeping, terrified students who asked: How could this possibly be happening? — I share apprehensions about President-elect Trump …

Discussion: Washington Post

UnionLeader.com:

Lame duck delusions: Obama ignores changing terror threat — As the final days of his presidency melt away, Barack Obama is frantically trying to piece together a legacy. — “Over the last eight years, no foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland …

Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:

Heitkamp is Trump's top choice for Agriculture secretary: report — (D-N.D.) has emerged as President-elect Donald Trump — 's top choice for Agriculture secretary, Politico reported Saturday. — Heitkamp joining Trump's administration would require a special election to fill her Senate seat, which could flip to a Republican.

Discussion: alan.com and RedState