Russian Interference In The Run-up To U.s. Midterm Elections Has Dramatically Decreased Since President Donald Trump Took Office, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Said Saturday.
Speaking at a convention of state secretaries of state in Philadelphia on voter registration and election cybersecurity, Nielsen highlighted the Trump administration’s efforts to further protect state and local elections from foreign interference and noted Russian election meddling has dropped sharply from 2016.
DHS is committed to building on the progress we have made to ensure that election officials from every state have access to timely and actionable information. #NASSCON pic.twitter.com/yGz3ZqObHz
— Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) July 14, 2018
“There is little doubt that adversaries and non-state actors continue to view elections as a target for cyber and influence operations,” Nielsen told attendees, adding there are “no indications that Russia is targeting the 2018 U.S. midterms at a scale or scope to match their activities in 2016.”
The Homeland Security official did note Kremlin-led efforts to tear at the U.S.’s social fabric using online platforms are still present. U.S. intelligence agencies are still witnessing “persistent Russian efforts using social media, sympathetic spokespeople, and other fronts to sow discord and divisiveness amongst the American people, though not necessarily focused on specific politicians or political campaigns.”- READ MORE
[divider][/divider]Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Sunday said he believes it’s a “waste of time” to try to hold Russian President Vladimir Putin accountable for meddling in U.S. elections, arguing that the U.S. and other countries have engaged in similar behavior.
“I think because this has gotten partisan … we’ve forgotten that the most important thing is the integrity of our elections,” Paul continued.
The senator called it a “moot point” whether President Trump requests the extradition of the 12 indicted Russian officials, adding that there’s no reason to expect Moscow would agree to it.
“If we have proof that they did it, we should spend our time protecting ourselves instead of having this witch hunt on the president,” Paul said. “I think we need to be done with this so we can protect our elections.” – READ MORE
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