Committee releases election security findings

The Senate Intelligence Committee released last week the first volume of a report exploring the body’s investigation into Russia’s attempts to interfere with the 2016 election.

“Over the past two years, the Senate Intelligence Committee has investigated Russia’s relentless efforts to interfere in the 2016 election and its continuing efforts to undermine our democratic institutions,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who joins Sen. Angus King (I-ME) in serving on the Committee, said. “This issue is far too important for it to break down along partisan lines, and I am pleased that the committee’s examination, which involved multiple public hearings and interviews with more than 200 witnesses, remained bipartisan.”

Collins said the panel is in the final stages of wrapping its investigation, noting the release of the first chapter of the report provides irrefutable evidence of Russia’s ongoing efforts to interfere in the electoral process and influence public opinion.

King said the report is the product of an intensive, thorough and bipartisan effort to understand the breadth of foreign interference in the 2016 election.

“Our findings are at once deeply concerning and fully expected – as has been previously and unequivocally stated by the Intelligence Community, it is clear that the Russians executed a sophisticated and serious attack on our democratic processes,” he said. “There should be no further confusion about who attacked us: it was the Russians, and we need to protect ourselves because if we remain vulnerable, they or other hostile actors will attack us again. This volume puts forward important recommendations as to how we can defend our elections in the future – but it has to be a bipartisan effort.”