Dem senator calls for hearing on Russian interference in US elections

A top Democratic senator is calling for a hearing on Russian interference in U.S. elections. 

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Europe, urged Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) to hold a full hearing on the matter “as soon as possible.”

“Given the seriousness of this issue and the jurisdictional relevance to the Foreign Relations Committee, I believe a full committee hearing on this issue, perhaps supplemented by a classified briefing, would be beneficial both to members of the committee and the constituents they represent,” Shaheen wrote Thursday in the letter, first obtained by The Hill.

Shaheen noted that Russia has reportedly hacked the Democratic National Committee and illegally obtained and leaked emails to third parties since the committee’s last hearing on U.S. policy on Russia in June.

In addition, she said, Russian hackers are suspected to be behind the infiltration of two state voting systems.

And on Wednesday, hackers leaked emails belonging to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a retired Army four-star general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in which he made disparaging remarks about both the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees. 

“These developments raise the sobering possibility that Russia is employing the tactics it has used to influence elections in places like Ukraine and Georgia, this time in the United States,” Shaheen wrote. 

Earlier in the week, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) blasted the administration for not having a policy to deal with the Russian infiltrations. 

McCain is facing reelection in Arizona, one of the states where voting systems were reportedly compromised. 

“Our nation can and must do better if we are to enable our law enforcement, intelligence, and military professionals to effectively defend, deter, and respond to our adversaries in cyberspace,” he said.