Senate

Dem wants Senate panel briefed on alleged Russia hacking

by Jordain Carney - 06/06/17 3:16 PM ET

Sen. Amy Klobuchar wants the Senate Rules Committee to get a classified briefing on allegations that Russia hacked a U.S. voting systems manufacturer ahead of the 2016 election.

The Minnesota senator, who is the top Democrat on the committee, sent a letter to H.R. McMaster, President Trump’s national security adviser, requesting that he meet with the panel.

“As the Senate continues to investigate the full extent of Russia’s attack on our election system, it is vital that we have all of the information necessary to ensure that future elections are safeguarded from foreign interference,” Klobuchar wrote in the letter.

{mosads}She added that in addition to the closed-door meeting, McMaster should consider “making information that could be helpful to protecting critical infrastructure publicly available immediately.”

The Intercept reported on Monday that Russian intelligence agents hacked a U.S. voting systems manufacturer in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election.

Klobuchar called the report “deeply concerning” and that it “goes beyond what was outlined in the December 2016 report from 17 U.S. intelligence agencies on Russian interference in our election.”

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, added on Tuesday that Russia’s election interference went beyond what was included in the explosive report.

[T]he extent of the attacks is much broader than has been reported so far,” Warner told USA Today. “None of these actions from the Russians stopped on Election Day.”

The Senate Intelligence Committee is currently conducting its own investigation into Russia’s election interference, including any contacts between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

Tags Amy Klobuchar Mark Warner