Dems’ Partisan Approach To Election Security Undermines Our Bipartisan Progress

Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA): ‘We Are Safer,’ ‘Our Elections Are Far More Secure Today Than They Were In 2016’

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA), Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman: “When the Russians attacked elections systems in 2016, neither the federal government nor the states were adequately prepared. Our bipartisan investigation identified multiple problems and information gaps that hindered our ability to effectively respond and defend against the Russian attack in 2016. Since then – and in large part as a result of the bipartisan work done on this issue in our Committee – the intelligence community, DHS, the FBI, and the states have taken steps to ensure that our elections are far more secure today than they were in 2016.” (Sen. Warner, Press Release, 7/25/2019)

CNN’s JIM SCIUTTO: “Is our election any safer from Russian interference today than it was 4 years ago?”
SEN. WARNER (D-VA): “Well we are safer. We’ve seen dramatic improvement in the security of our election system. Most states have got a paper ballot backup, for example…. And clearly, the intelligence community has got literally hundreds of people working on this. So that’s all to the good.” (CNN’s “Newsroom,” 8/20/2020)

• SEN. WARNER: “Now, we are safer because election officials of both parties across the state or across the country have stepped up. We are safer because while not perfect, the social media companies are doing better at trying to ferret out some of the most abusive misinformation. We are better because literally hundreds of intelligence -- counterintelligence professionals are doing their job.” (MSNBC, 8/18/2020)

GEN. PAUL NAKASONE, NSA Director and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command: “The National Security Agency is a critical Cyber Command partner…. The power of this partnership can be seen in how Cyber Command and the NSA worked together to protect against meddling in the 2018 midterm elections. Experts from both organizations formed the Russia Small Group (RSG), a task force created to ensure that democratic processes were executed unfettered by Russian activity. It shared indicators of potential compromise, enabling DHS to harden the security of election infrastructure. It also shared threat indicators with the FBI to bolster that organization’s efforts to counter foreign trolls on social media platforms. And Cyber Command sent personnel on several hunt forward missions, where governments had invited them to search for malware on their networks. Thanks to these and other efforts, the United States disrupted a concerted effort to undermine the midterm elections. Together with its partners, Cyber Command is doing all of this and more for the 2020 elections.” (Gen. Nakasone and Michael Sulmeyer, “How to Compete in Cyberspace,” Foreign Affairs, 8/25/2020)

Congress Has Passed $805 Million For Election Security In The Last Two Years

2018: “Congress provided $380 million in election security funding as part of its massive spending bill, a move that reflects the growing consensus in Washington that more needs to be done to ensure the integrity of America’s elections…. It’s the largest distribution of funds from the federal government to states in the area of election security since Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002 …” (“A Rare Bipartisan Effort In Congress Would Help States Fight Hackers Ahead Of The 2018 Midterms,” Business Insider, 3/22/2018)

2019: “Congress will approve a total of $425 million in election security funding, according to two sources familiar with the deal…. It’s the biggest influx of cash to bolster US election infrastructure since the 2016 election … Congress also passed $380 million for election security in the appropriations bill of 2018.” (“Congress To Approve $425 Million For Election Security Upgrades,” CNN, 12/16/2019)

SEN. PAT LEAHY (D-VT), Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member: “Importantly, the agreement includes $425 million for Election Security grants … This funding will build upon funding provided in fiscal year 2018 to continue to help states upgrade election technology, improve cybersecurity, and help prevent future cyberattacks.” (U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Minority, Press Release, 12/19/2019)

And The CARES Act Included Another $400 Million To Help States With Elections During The Pandemic

“The [CARES Act] provides $400,000,000 to the Election Assistance Commission to provide grants to the States in response to the coronavirus for the 2020 election cycle.” (U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Release, 3/25/2020)

• U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION: “The Act includes $400 million in new Help America Vote Act (HAVA) emergency funds, made available to states to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus for the 2020 federal election cycle. This supplemental appropriation funding, distributed by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), will provide states with additional resources to protect the 2020 elections from the effects of the novel coronavirus.” (“2020 CARES Act Grants,” U.S. Election Assistance Commission Website, Accessed 9/16/2020)

The Senate Passed Bipartisan Bills To Boost The Intelligence Community’s Ability To Secure Elections, To Strengthen Laws Against Hacking Election Systems, And To Block Individuals Who Meddle In U.S. Elections From Being Able To Enter The United States

“The IAA for Fiscal Years 2018-2020 represents a bipartisan effort by the Senate Intelligence Committee to authorize the U.S. Intelligence Community’s funding, personnel, and activities, and to ensure continued Congressional oversight of critical programs. The bill improves our Intelligence Community’s ability to protect and defend our country, including in the following key areas: … Securing our elections from foreign meddling by requiring strategic assessments of Russian cyber threats and influence campaigns, and facilitating increased information sharing between state, local, and federal government officials.” (U.S. Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, Press Release, 5/14/2019; U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Press Release, 6/27/2019)

Strong election security provisions were included in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including expediting security clearances for state elections officials (Sec. 10507), requiring the ODNI to review the intel community’s election security posture (Sec. 10502), mandating that the federal government develop a whole-of-government strategy to counter threat of Russian cyber-attacks (Sec. 10504), improves Congressional reporting of active measures (Sec. 10508), and required the ODNI to establish an Intelligence Community Election Threats Executive (Sec. 10509), and also establishing the need for the ODNI, CIA, NSA, FBI, and DHS to report to Congress on threats facing federal elections 180 days before each election. (Sec. 10503) (S. 1790, 116^th Congress)

“The Senate took another small step to improve election security Wednesday evening… [S]enators passed by unanimous consent a bipartisan bill out of the Senate Judiciary Committee designed to make sure that hacking election systems is actually a federal crime. The bill would amend current law on computer hacking to specify that hacking a computer designated as part of a voting system or for the administration of a federal election is a crime.” (“Senate Seeks To Make Sure That Hacking Election Systems Is A Federal Crime,” Roll Call, 7/18/2019

• SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): “This legislation provides the Department of Justice the ability to investigate and prosecute those who seek to manipulate elections systems equipment …The House of Representatives should act quickly to pass this bill to help protect us from further attempts to interfere with the 2020 election.” (“Senate Seeks To Make Sure That Hacking Election Systems Is A Federal Crime,” Roll Call, 7/18/2019)

• SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): “Voting machines are a prime penetrable target, and laws remain woefully outdated. This bipartisan bill provides the Department of Justice with powerful tools to vigorously prosecute and stop malicious hackers … Its unanimous passage tells the world that securing our nation’s elections and cyber infrastructure is a bipartisan cause.” (“Senate Seeks To Make Sure That Hacking Election Systems Is A Federal Crime,” Roll Call, 7/18/2019)

“The Senate cleared legislation on Monday night to block individuals who meddle in U.S. elections from being able to enter the United States. The legislation, known as the Defending Elections against Trolls from Enemy Regimes Act (DETER Act), easily passed the Senate by unanimous consent … The bill, spearheaded by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), would block individuals from being able to obtain a visa if they were attempting to or had engaged in ‘improper interference in U.S. elections.’ According to the legislation, that would include violating voting or campaign finance laws or trying to interfere in elections or a campaign while under the direction of a foreign government.” (“Senate Passes Bill To Deny Entry For Individuals Who Meddle In US Elections,” The Hill, 6/3/2019)

‘Caught Flat-Footed,’ ‘The Obama Administration Failed To Do Enough To Stop The Russians’ In Their 2016 Attempts At Election Interference, And ‘Putin Was Left Largely Undeterred’

The Senate Intelligence Committee’s Bipartisan Report Found The Obama Administration Was Unprepared To Respond To Russian Interference

ABC: “The Obama administration failed to do enough to stop the Russians from meddling in the 2016 presidential elections, according to a bipartisan conclusion reached by members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.” (“Obama Administration ‘Flat-Footed’ As Russians Meddled In 2016 Election: Senate Panel,” ABC News, 6/20/2018)

POLITICO: “Senate report faults Obama administration’s paralysis on Russian election interference” (Politico, 2/06/2020)

• “The Obama administration was not ‘well-postured’ to combat Russian interference in the 2016 election and was so riven with concerns over how to handle the digital assault that it muted the government’s response, according to a new report out this morning from the Senate Intelligence Committee.” (“Senate Report Faults Obama Administration’s Paralysis On Russian Election Interference,” Politico, 2/06/2020)

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA), Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman: “As we examine the policy questions faced by the Obama administration and this Congress during the 2016 campaign, it’s evident that in many ways we were caught flat-footed at the outset and our collective response was inadequate to meet Russia’s escalation. At the end of the day, it’s hard to see the Russian influence campaign as anything but a success for Vladimir Putin.” (U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Hearing, 6/20/2018)

After Obama Administration Officials Were Alerted To Russian Interference Attempts, They Were Paralyzed By Indecision And Did Little To Respond

“Widespread paralysis in the Obama administration prevented the U.S. from developing an effective response to combat Russian hacking in the 2016 election, according to a new, bipartisan report from the Senate Intelligence Committee.” (“Senate Report Faults Obama Administration’s Paralysis On Russian Election Interference,” Politico, 2/06/2020)

BIPARTISAN SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE REPORT: “While some policy options were ready to execute on short notice--in part because they had been developed, but not used, in response to earlier acts of Russian aggression--a more comprehensive set of options took time to formulate and prepare. The extremely restricted nature of the discussions by cabinet level officials hampered the administration’s ability to prepare complex response options. Policymakers were also concerned about escalation and believed their options for sending a nuanced message to Moscow prior to the election were limited.” (Report Of The Select Committee On Intelligence, United States Senate, On Russian Active Measures Campaigns And Interference In The 2016 U.S. Election, Volume 3: U.S. Government Response To Russian Activities, 2/06/2020)

“The reluctance of the Obama White House to respond to the alleged Russian intrusions before Election Day upset Democrats on the Hill as well as members of the Clinton campaign. Within the administration, top officials from different agencies sparred over whether and how to respond. White House officials were concerned that covert retaliatory measures might risk an escalation in which Russia, with sophisticated cyber-capabilities, might have less to lose than the United States, with its vast and vulnerable digital infrastructure.” (The Washington Post, 12/09/2016)

• SENIOR HOUSE DEMOCRAT AIDE: “Democrats were disappointed with how the Obama administration dealt with the [Russian] threat in 2016, and we made that known — they lost valuable time when they could have been informing the public of and inoculating them against Russia’s interference campaign.” (“Democrats See Payoff From Pressure Campaign On Intelligence Community,” Politico, 8/08/2020)

BIPARTISAN SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE REPORT: “[White House Chief of Staff Denis] McDonough stated that he did not recall any specific proposals for pre-election response actions though he noted that ‘it was a decision to not act before the election ... although there was work that we had to do, which obviously informed then the timing of when we do take the steps we take in December.’” (Report Of The Select Committee On Intelligence, United States Senate, On Russian Active Measures Campaigns And Interference In The 2016 U.S. Election, Volume 3: U.S. Government Response To Russian Activities, 2/06/2020)

• “According to [National Security Adviser Susan] Rice, the restricted [Principals Committee] group did discuss taking punitive action prior to the election, regardless of whether additional Russian cyber activity was detected. The administration decided, however, to not proceed out of concern about provoking the Russians to undertake additional activity.” (Report Of The Select Committee On Intelligence, United States Senate, On Russian Active Measures Campaigns And Interference In The 2016 U.S. Election, Volume 3: U.S. Government Response To Russian Activities, 2/06/2020)

• “In a hearing held by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence [in 2018], former assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland, who also served in the George W. Bush administration as the U.S. ambassador to NATO, said that apart from issuing a ‘stern and personal’ warning to Putin during a September G-20 summit, President Obama chose to wait until after the election to launch an investigation and a retaliatory response.” (“Former Obama Officials Say Putin Was Largely Undeterred In Election Meddling Efforts,” CBS News, 6/20/2018)

“Several administration officials told the Committee that they believed they had exhausted the non-escalatory actions they could take prior to the election …” (Report Of The Select Committee On Intelligence, United States Senate, On Russian Active Measures Campaigns And Interference In The 2016 U.S. Election, Volume 3: U.S. Government Response To Russian Activities, 2/06/2020)

Instead, Obama Officials Repeatedly Issued Ineffective Warnings To The Russians That Were Simply Ignored

BIPARTISAN SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE REPORT: “Actions undertaken prior to the November 8, 2016, presidential election were limited to admonishing the Russians at various levels, providing federal assistance to secure state election infrastructure, and issuing a public statement attributing the penetration of the DNC and the disclosure of illicitly obtained information to Moscow.” (Report Of The Select Committee On Intelligence, United States Senate, On Russian Active Measures Campaigns And Interference In The 2016 U.S. Election, Volume 3: U.S. Government Response To Russian Activities, 2/06/2020)

• “The administration delivered at least five direct warnings to various levels of the Russian government…. In responding, Moscow denied any connection between the activities raised in the U.S. messages and Russia, adding that it too had been victim to some of the same cyber activity.” (Report Of The Select Committee On Intelligence, United States Senate, On Russian Active Measures Campaigns And Interference In The 2016 U.S. Election, Volume 3: U.S. Government Response To Russian Activities, 2/06/2020)

“The Committee found that after the warnings, Russia continued its cyber activity, to include further public dissemination of stolen emails, clandestine social media-based influence operations, and penetration of state voting infrastructure through Election Day 2016.” (Report Of The Select Committee On Intelligence, United States Senate, On Russian Active Measures Campaigns And Interference In The 2016 U.S. Election, Volume 3: U.S. Government Response To Russian Activities, 2/06/2020)

• “[I]t is now clear that at least some aspects of Russian activity continued through the fall of 2016 and after the election; notably, Russia’s use of social media and its attempts to penetrate vulnerable state and local election infrastructure.” (Report Of The Select Committee On Intelligence, United States Senate, On Russian Active Measures Campaigns And Interference In The 2016 U.S. Election, Volume 3: U.S. Government Response To Russian Activities, 2/06/2020)

• “As late as October, GRU cyber actors conducted penetration testing on state and county election infrastructure. For example, GRU cyber actors visited the websites of counties in Georgia, Iowa, and Florida to identify vulnerabilities.” (Report Of The Select Committee On Intelligence, United States Senate, On Russian Active Measures Campaigns And Interference In The 2016 U.S. Election, Volume 3: U.S. Government Response To Russian Activities, 2/06/2020)

• “Days before the election, GRU cyber actors sent over 100 spearphishing emails to election officials and organizations in numerous Florida counties. These emails contained malware designed to look like a legitimate election infrastructure vendor.” (Report Of The Select Committee On Intelligence, United States Senate, On Russian Active Measures Campaigns And Interference In The 2016 U.S. Election, Volume 3: U.S. Government Response To Russian Activities, 2/06/2020)

Obama Administration Officials Now Admit: ‘It Is The Hardest Thing About My Entire Time In Government To Defend’

FORMER SENIOR OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL INVOLVED IN WHITE HOUSE DELIBERATIONS ON RUSSIA: “It is the hardest thing about my entire time in government to defend … I feel like we sort of choked.” (“Obama’s Secret Struggle To Punish Russia For Putin’s Election Assault,” The Washington Post, 6/23/2017)

SUZANNE SPAULDING, Then-Under Secretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), Department of Homeland Security: “There is certainly room for criticism in the way the administration responded…. It’s a fair criticism, certainly fair to say that we did not have the focus on possible Russian interference in our election that we came to have later in the year.” (“Senate: Obama Officials Hamstrung By Russia Election Attack,” The Associated Press, 2/06/2020)

“Two former Obama administration officials said Wednesday that a failure to recognize the ‘scope and scale’ of Russia’s disinformation and influence campaign – alongside a reluctance to punish the Kremlin at a politically sensitive time – meant president Vladimir Putin was left largely undeterred during the 2016 presidential election.” (“Former Obama Officials Say Putin Was Largely Undeterred In Election Meddling Efforts,” CBS News, 6/20/2018)

• “Russia may have stepped up efforts to meddle in the 2016 U.S. election after President Barack Obama’s administration did not retaliate strongly to reports of its activities, former aides to the Democratic president told U.S. senators on Wednesday.” (“Obama’s Lack Of Response May Have Emboldened Russia Election Meddling: Former Officials,” Reuters, 6/20/2018)

• ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS: “I think it is a legitimate question [about the Obama administration’s response] and I think given the stakes at the national level the question deserves an answer…. In retrospect it certainly seems as though it was a mistake not to call the Russians sooner and respond to them in a very forceful way.” (“Why Didn’t Obama Do More About Russian Election Hack?,” NBC News, 12/15/2016)