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U.S. NEWS Thursday 22 June 2017
2016 elections
Continued from front

The issue has become a into voter registration data- ident-elect of the National
flashpoint for the Trump ad- bases in Arizona and Illinois, Association of Secretaries
ministration as congressio- and said Americans need of State, said there were
nal committees and a spe- to know the identities of the three conference calls led
cial counsel investigate the other 19 states where med- by Johnson with top state
interference and whether dling was detected. election officials about
the Trump campaign may “I do not believe our coun- attempts to compromise
have become enmeshed try is made safer by holding state elections systems.
in it. this information back from She said the calls occurred
A day earlier, Trump the American public,” he on Aug. 15, Sept. 8 and
spokesman Sean Spicer said. “To have the number Oct. 12. “Each time Secre-
said he still has yet to know of states that were hacked tary Johnson was directly
the president’s thoughts on into or attempted to be asked about specific, cred-
whether Russia interfered. hacked into still kept secret ible threats and each time
Johnson said Russian hack- is just crazy in my mind.” he confirmed that none ex-
ing didn’t change election Manfra said the depart- isted,” Lawson said.
totals, but he can’t be sure ment was still tracking the Johnson said in the late Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson testifies to
other meddling didn’t influ- meddling in the 21 states summer and into the fall, he the House Intelligence Committee task force on Capitol Hill in
ence public opinion. and believes it’s important was very concerned about Washington, Wednesday, June 21, 2017, as part of the Russia
“It is not for me to know to to protect the confidential- the meddling in state elec- investigation.
what extent the Russian ity of the states. tion systems and that the Associated Press
hacks influenced public State elections officials, department encouraged
opinion and thereby influ- who testified before the states to seek assistance
ence the outcome of the Senate committee, com- from DHS. More than 30 Press its long-standing elec- said he was frustrated DHS
election,” he said. plained that DHS could states accepted help, but tion-day reporting process, learned of the hack into
Senators said the Home- have offered more infor- there was resistance at the including the redundan- the DNC late in the game
land Security Department mation about the hacking. state level to a designation cies and safeguards in its and said the committee re-
should reveal which state Michael Hass, the Wiscon- that would have funneled systems,” Johnson said. fused help because it was
election systems were tar- sin elections commissioner, needed federal resources Johnson said he doesn’t using a private cyber secu-
geted by hackers as Jea- said DHS could have been their way. know whether the hacking rity firm.
nette Manfra, the depart- more timely — and provid- He also said he contacted of the Democratic National “In retrospect, it would be
ment’s undersecretary for ed more detail — on elec- The Associated Press, which Committee’s emails and easy for me to say that
cybersecurity, demurred. tion security and threats to counts votes, and its CEO, other Moscow-directed in- I should have bought a
Sen. Mark Warner of Virgin- elections systems at the lo- Gary Pruitt. terference “did in fact alter sleeping bag and camped
ia, the committee’s ranking cal level. “Prior to Election Day, I also public opinion, and there- out in front of the DNC in
Democrat, noted that the Connie Lawson, Indiana personally reviewed with by alter the outcome of the late summer,” Johnson
FBI has confirmed intrusions secretary of state and pres- the CEO of The Associated presidential election.” He said.q

FBI: Gunman acted alone in shooting of congressman

WASHINGTON (AP) — A and killed Hogdkinson, an
gunman acted alone unemployed home inspec-
when he shot and wound- tor with a deep animus
ed a top House Republican toward President Donald
and four other people on a Trump and other Republi-
northern Virginia baseball cans.
field, the FBI said Wednes- Hodgkinson, 66, was from
day. Belleville, Illinois, and had
Tim Slater, who leads the volunteered for Bernie
criminal division of the FBI’s Sanders’ presidential cam-
Washington field office, paign. For months before
also said during a news the shooting, he had been
conference that James T. living out of his van in the
Hodgkinson did not have Washington area, with
any ties to terrorism. more than 200 rounds of
Rep. Steve Scalise, 51, the ammunition among the
House majority whip, was belongings he kept in a
gravely wounded in the storage unit, Slater said.
shooting June 14.. He has Hodgkinson had a list of
undergone several sur- six members of Congress
geries and remains hospi- on him, Slater said, but
talized. His condition has there was no indication Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington Field Office, Special Agent in Charge, Timothy Slater,
been upgraded to serious. that he intended to target with Alexandria Police Department Chief Michael Brown, from left, and United States Capitol Police
Scalise and other congres- them. He declined to say Chief Matthew Verderosa, speaks to reporters outside the FBI Washington Field Office, Wednesday,
sional Republicans were whether the people on the June 21, 2017, during a news conference about the investigative findings to date in the shooting
practicing for their annual list were Republicans or that occurred at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, Va. on Wednesday, June 14, 2017.
charity baseball game at the baseball practice. Associated Press
against Democrats when Hodgkinson had been in Both the rifle and handgun censes, the FBI said. The rifle placed with a folding stock.
the gunman started shoot- email contact with the two Hodgkinson was carrying was modified to accept a Hodgkinson bought the
ing. U.S. Capitol Police and Democratic senators from were purchased legally detachable magazine and guns in April, after Trump
other officers returned fire Illinois, he said. through federal firearms li- the original stock was re- was elected, Slater said.q