02.11.20

Democrats Continue To Mislead On Election Security

Democrats Continue To Demand Partisan Legislation That Ignores The Successful 2018 And 2019 Elections And The Over $800 Million For Election Security Congress Has Appropriated In The Last 2 Years

 

Two Months Ago, Congress Approved Another $425 Million For Election Security, For A Total Of Over $800 Million Since 2018

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)

“U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today the Senate approved $425 million for states to enhance their voting systems. Kentucky is expected to receive more than $6 million of that funding, which is included in the Fiscal Year 2020 government-funding agreement.” (Sen. McConnell, Press Release, 12/19/2019)

  • SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): “Preserving the integrity of our elections is vital for the security and future of our country, and I’m determined to continue to provide Kentucky and all states with the resources they need to protect the ballot box. Working with the Trump administration—which helped make the past two elections a success—we’re bolstering the work of states and localities as they modernize and safeguard their systems.” (Sen. McConnell, Press Release, 12/19/2019)

 

The Trump Administration Made New Commitments To Election Security And Elections In 2018 And 2019 Were Protected

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ACTING SECRETARY CHAD WOLF: “As we saw in 2016, we fully expect Russia to attempt to interfere in the 2020 elections to sow public discord and undermine our democratic institutions. Let me be clear: We are prepared. And more importantly, the state and local officials who run our elections are prepared. We are working with our Federal partners to make sure those officials on the frontlines of our elections have the information and the tools they need to combat Russian interference. We are also working to make sure the American people understand how the Russians seek to undermine confidence in our elections, and the simple steps they can take to avoid amplifying foreign influence campaigns. We were prepared in 2018, when DHS established classified and unclassified election war rooms. These war rooms connected election officials in all 50 states, political parties, social media companies and agencies across the U.S. Government, including DOD, the FBI and the Intelligence Community. Our efforts helped make the 2018 elections the most secure elections in the modern era. In 2020, we’re doing this and more to prevent our adversaries from degrading faith in our democracy and election results.” (DHS Acting Secretary Wolf, Remarks, 1/17/2020)

“Among the biggest failures in the 2016 election were communication barriers, particularly since election officials didn't have the necessary clearances to learn about attempted interference, [Under Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security’s National Protection and Programs Directorate Chris] Krebs said, adding that there was minimal trust between the federal government and states. ‘The trust is there now, because we’ve put work into it,’ he said. ‘We’re miles beyond where we were in '16.’” (CBS News, 10/19/2018)

The Departments Of Justice And Homeland Security And The Office Of The Director Of National Intelligence ‘Concluded There Is No Evidence To Date That Any’ Foreign Government Or Agent ‘Had A Material Impact On The Integrity Or Security’ Of The 2018 Congressional Elections

DEPARTMENTS OF JUSTICE & HOMELAND SECURITY: “[T]he Departments have concluded there is no evidence to date that any identified activities of a foreign government or foreign agent had a material impact on the integrity or security of election infrastructure or political/campaign infrastructure used in the 2018 midterm elections for the United States Congress. This finding was informed by a report prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) pursuant to the same Executive Order and is consistent with what was indicated by the U.S. government after the 2018 elections.” (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Press Release, 2/05/2019)

‘Election 2019: Officials See No Evidence of Disruption To Voting Infrastructure’

“Federal and state officials said that elections in several states unfolded without any notable security issues on Tuesday, as they praised improved intelligence sharing, new voting machines and other measures they have taken following foreign attempts to interfere in recent U.S. elections. Authorities said that they geared up to monitor and respond to any potential attacks, but saw no unusual cybersecurity threats against election computer systems as polls opened. By midday, they were calling it an uneventful day from a cybersecurity perspective.” (“Election 2019: Officials See No Evidence of Disruption to Voting Infrastructure,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/05/2019)

“Election officials also noted how coordination between different levels of government has expanded significantly since the 2016 election cycle …” (“Election 2019: Officials See No Evidence of Disruption to Voting Infrastructure,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/05/2019)

 

Democrats’ Hyping Of American Election Vulnerabilities Risks Doing The Russians’ Work For Them, A Concern Multiple High-Ranking Obama Administration Security Officials Shared With Leader McConnell

“Matthew Masterson, a senior advisor at DHS who focuses on election security, said at an April 23 [2019] cybersecurity conference that he spends ‘a lot of time thinking through that undermining confidence [angle] and ways that we can build that resilience, because the reality is you don't actually even have to touch a system to push a narrative that undermines confidence in the elections process.’” (“Threats Known And Unknown Loom In 2020 Elections,” Federal Computer Week, 4/24/2019)

SEN. McCONNELL: “[S]peaking broadly, I think all Americans should remember this: What Russia really set out to do was sow division, spark doubt, and trigger a crisis of confidence in our country that would extend far beyond the actual actions they undertook. So as I’ve said before, as we continue taking action and shoring up our defenses, it’s also vital that we not fall into precisely the trap that Putin and company have laid. It’s vital that Americans not take the bait on fear and division and ultimately do Russia’s work for them.” (Sen. McConnell, Remarks, 7/11/2019)

BIPARTISAN SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE REPORT: “In a July 17, 2018, closed [Senate Intelligence] Committee hearing examining the Obama administration’s response to Russian interference in the 2016 election, [Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman] Senator Burr … responded to [Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa] Monaco and stated, ‘[T]he question that [Senate Majority Leader McConnell] raised was: Would this not contribute to Russia’s efforts at creating concerns about our election process, if the leadership of the Congress put that letter out?’” (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)

 

‘We Did Not Want To, As We Described It, Do The Russians’ Work For Them By Sowing Panic About The Vulnerability Of The Election’

BIPARTISAN SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE REPORT: “Several administration officials told the Committee that they felt constrained by worries that warning the American public would trigger the very thing they were trying to prevent: the public questioning the integrity of the election. Some in those policy debates argued for exposing Russian activities to reduce their effectiveness. Others, including some in the administration and some in Congress, worried that such warnings would create the public impression that the elections were compromised and would essentially amplify Russia’s tactics.” (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)

 

Democrats Set All Their Own Election Rules And Practices For Their Iowa Caucuses And They Turned Into A National Embarrassment

“An election debacle unfolded Monday night as the Iowa Democratic Party failed to release the results of the state’s presidential caucuses, saying it had found ‘inconsistencies in the reporting’ as the nation awaited the outcome of the first-in-the-nation nominating contest.” (“Iowa Caucus Results Delayed by Counting Problems,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/4/2020)

“A night that was supposed to bring clarity to the Democratic presidential contest turned into a long ordeal of confusion and delays on Monday, as the Iowa Democratic Party failed to report results from more than a handful of precincts for hours after the state’s famed caucuses began.” (“Delays Mar Iowa Caucuses as Democrats Start Nominating Process,” The New York Times, 2/3/2020)

  • “Struggling to adopt a new byzantine process of tabulating results, Iowa Democrats offered little explanation for the problem for hours after the caucuses began. Eventually, in a 1 a.m. conference call with reporters, Troy Price, the Iowa Democratic Party chairman, said results would not begin to be released until sometime on Tuesday. He said the problem was a reporting issue and stressed it was not a hack.” (“Delays Mar Iowa Caucuses as Democrats Start Nominating Process,” The New York Times, 2/3/2020)

“The app that the Iowa Democratic Party commissioned to tabulate and report results from the caucuses on Monday was not properly tested at a statewide scale, said people who were briefed on the app by the state party. It was quickly put together in just the past two months, said the people…” (“App Used to Tabulate Votes Is Said to Have Been Inadequately Tested,” The New York Times, 2/3/2020)

“After years of preparation designed to prevent the chaos and confusion that marred the caucuses in 2016, and after careful planning aimed at preventing the spread of conspiracy theories by hostile foreign actors, Democrats began their high-stakes nominating contest this week under a cloud of uncertainty and dysfunction. Hours after caucus-goers had returned home, the contest remained in a state of suspended confusion — with precincts unable to communicate results, state party officials huddling with aides to the top candidates and, above all, a blemish on the process held out by Iowa as a model of civic engagement.” (“‘It Kind Of Failed Us’: With Eyes Of The World On Iowa, Another Hiccup In American Democracy,” The Washington Post, 2/4/2020)

TROY PRICE, Iowa Democratic Party Chairman: “The reporting of the results and the circumstances surrounding the 2020 Iowa Democratic Party caucuses were unacceptable… As chair of the party, I apologize deeply for this.” (“Iowa Party Chief Apologizes for Delay, Says 'This Data Is Accurate,'” The Wall Street Journal, 2/4/2020)

  • “Tom Perez, the chairman of the national committee, placed blame directly on the Iowa Democratic Party and Mr. Price. ‘Troy Price was doing his best, but it wasn’t enough,’ Mr. Perez said in an interview with The Times on Sunday, noting that while the national and state parties work in partnership, the Iowa Democratic Party is ultimately responsible for administering its own nominating contest.” (“How The Iowa Caucuses Became An Epic Fiasco For Democrats,” The New York Times, 2/9/2020)

ACTING DHS SECRETARY WOLF: “[W]hat I would say is that given the amount of scrutiny that we have on election security these days, this is a concerning event and it really goes to the public confidence of our elections.” (“DHS Chief Says Offer To Vet Iowa Caucus App Was Declined,” The Hill, 2/04/2020)

 

FLASHBACK: The Obama Administration Failed At Combatting Russian Election Interference In 2016

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)

‘The Obama Administration Was Ill-Prepared To Handle And Failed To Respond Effectively To Russian Interference During The 2016 Election’

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

AP: “The Obama administration was ill-prepared to handle and failed to respond effectively to Russian interference during the 2016 election, according to a bipartisan congressional report released Thursday. It said officials feared getting caught up in a heavily politicized environment and undermining public confidence in the electoral process.” (“Senate: Obama Officials Hamstrung By Russia Election Attack,” The Associated Press, 2/06/2020)

The Obama Administration Was ‘Caught Flat-Footed’ by Russian Attempts To Interfere In The U.S. Election

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)

BIPARTISAN SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE REPORT: “The Committee found that the U.S. Government was not well-postured to counter Russian election interference activity with a full range of readily-available policy options.” (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 noted most Obama administration officials interviewed in the investigation said they had first learned about the Russian operation to steal emails from the Democratic National Committee from the media. The initial reaction of administration officials and intelligence agencies was that Russia’s activity ‘fell within the bounds of traditional espionage’ and was not understood at that point to be part of a broader campaign, according to the report.” (“Senate: Obama Officials Hamstrung By Russia Election Attack,” The Associated Press, 2/06/2020)

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

SEN. RICHARD BURR (R-NC), Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman: “After discovering the existence, if not the full scope, of Russia’s election interference efforts in late-2016, the Obama Administration struggled to determine the appropriate response. Frozen by ‘paralysis of analysis,’ hamstrung by constraints both real and perceived, Obama officials debated courses of action without truly taking one.” (“Senate Report Faults Obama Administration’s Paralysis On Russian Election Interference,” Politico, 2/06/2020)

“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)

‘It Was A Decision To Not Act Before The Election’ In Response

“Secretary [of Homeland Security Jeh] Johnson recalled that, as of October 1, 2016, ‘[a]s an administration we had not reached the conclusion, yes, we will attribute to Russia, and who’s going to do it.’” (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)

“[Then-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)

Instead, Obama Officials Repeatedly Issued Ineffective Warnings To The Russians

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 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)

 

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SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER

Related Issues: Homeland Security, Senate Democrats, Cybersecurity, Campaigns & Elections