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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 11 July 2019

Trump officials warns of ‘active threats’ to U.S. elections

By MATTHEW DALY jority Leader Mitch McCon- While Congress may need come of more elections,” actors continue to meddle
Associated Press nell has blocked bipartisan to act, McConnell said he’s McConnell said Wednes- in our democratic systems,
WASHINGTON (AP) — The bills to address election se- skeptical of Democratic- day. and we’ve been put on
Trump administration out- curity, and they pressed for passed bills on election se- A bill approved by the notice that previous efforts
lined “active threats” to were only trial runs pre-
U.S. elections as it briefed sumably for our next elec-
Congress Wednesday on tion in 2020,” said Rep. Zoe
steps the government has Lofgren, D-Calif., the chief
taken to improve election sponsor of the House elec-
security in the wake of Rus- tion security bill.
sian interference in 2016. Senate Democratic Leader
Director of National Intel- Chuck Schumer of New
ligence Dan Coats, FBI Di- York said the classified
rector Christopher Wray briefing was important but
and other officials “made “by no means sufficient.”
it clear there are active Congress must “debate
threats and they’re doing and adopt measures to
everything they can” to protect our democracy
stop them, said Rep. Deb- and preserve the sanctity
bie Dingell, D-Mich. of elections,” Schumer said.
Dingell called the closed- He accused McConnell
door presentation “very im- of doing “nothing when it
pressive” and said the issue comes to one of the great-
was “one we all need to est threats to our democ-
take seriously.” racy: that a foreign power
Coats, Wray and other of- would reach in and inter-
ficials met separately with fere (with U.S. elections) for
the House and Senate in its own purposes.”
classified briefings. The bill approved by the
Democrats requested the House would require paper
sessions as they press leg- ballots in federal elections
islation to keep Russia and and authorize $775 mil-
other foreign adversaries lion in grants over the next
from interfering with the two years to help states se-
U.S. political system. cure their voting systems. It
House Minority Whip Steve also would prohibit voting
Scalise, R-La., called the systems from being con-
meeting helpful and said nected to the internet or
it reinforced the impor- wireless technologies and
tance of remaining vigilant tighten standards for pri-
against outside threats to vate companies that pro-
U.S. elections. vide election infrastructure.
The session demonstrat- The bill is among several
ed that federal agencies proposed by Democrats to
“continue to learn from the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., right, listens as Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., left, boost election security as
mistakes of the 2016 elec- speaks to reporters following the weekly policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Congress belatedly moves
tion, when the (Obama) July 9, 2019. to respond to Russian inter-
administration was flat- Associated Press ference in the presidential
footed in their response” to election nearly three years
Russian interference, Scal- the briefings as a way to curity, saying they give too House on a largely par- ago. The GOP-led Senate is
ise said. force his hand. much control over state ty-line vote in late June unlikely to vote on the bill.
Special counsel Robert McConnell, a Kentucky and local elections to the “would erode long-stand- “It’s interesting that some
Mueller laid out details of Republican, said he wel- federal government. ing safeguards” that ensure of our colleagues across
Russian interference in the comed the briefings. The Democrats “have twice local control of elections, the aisle seem to have al-
2016 election earlier this “smooth and secure ex- passed bills aimed at cen- he said. ready made up their minds
year, and lawmakers from ecution” of the 2018 mid- tralizing election adminis- Democrats dispute that before we hear from the
both parties have warned term elections “was not a tration decisions in the fed- and say urgent action is experts that a brand-new,
that the Russians are likely coincidence” and showed eral government, in part on needed to guard against sweeping Washington,
to try to interfere again in the success of measures the hope that election at- Russian interference in D.C., intervention is just
2020. the administration has al- torneys — not voters — will 2020. “We know that nefar- what the doctor ordered,”
Democrats say Senate Ma- ready taken, he said. get to determine the out- ious foreign and domestic McConnell said.q