Voting Systems at Hacking Risk in Mid-Terms, U.S. Senator Warns

(Bloomberg) -- Attempts to hack into U.S. voting systems ahead of November midterms could succeed, and President Donald Trump undermines national security when he questions the investigation of Russian election interference, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar said.

“I'm very concerned that you could have a hack that finally went through,” Klobuchar of Minnesota said on NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sunday. She said there were hacks into election systems in 21 states in 2016, which is why she's co-sponsored a bill to require the Department of Homeland to alert states of breaches.

Klobuchar's comments came as Democratic and Republican lawmakers demand more aggressive action regarding Russian interference in U.S. elections. Some are questioning Trump's response, which appears to diverge from his top intelligence officials.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said at a briefing on Aug. 2 that while Russian hacking efforts haven't reached the intensity of the campaign to undermine the 2016 presidential election, a more robust effort is only “a keyboard click away.”

‘It's a Hoax'

Coats was among five top national security leaders at the briefing -- including National Security Adviser John Bolton, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and General Paul Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency -- who blasted Russian efforts to interfere in U.S. elections.

At a rally hours later in Pennsylvania, though, Trump said, “Now, we're being hindered by the Russian hoax. It's a hoax, OK?”

Asked whether Trump's comments undermine national security, Klobuchar said, “I think they do.” She suggested the president is siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who's denied Russian interference, over his own intelligence officials.

Bolton pushed back on the idea that there's a “disconnect” between what officials laid out at the briefing and what the president has said about election hacking. Trump directed the briefing, and his use of “hoax” referred to the idea that his campaign was involved, Bolton said on “Fox News Sunday.”

“What he's saying by the hoax is the idea that somehow the Russians directed or controlled his campaign,” Bolton said.

‘Unproven Fantasy'

Kellyanne Conway, senior counselor to the president, echoed that comment. “When the president says Russia hoax, he's not talking about Russian meddling,” she said on CBS's “Face the Nation,” adding that it was an “unproven fantasy” that Trump's campaign “was in cahoots with Russians.”

Still, a bipartisan group of senators unveiled legislation Aug. 2 to “impose crushing sanctions and other measures against Putin's Russia until he ceases and desists meddling in the U.S. electoral process,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in a statement.

Lawmakers from both parties said on Sunday morning political shows that more pressure, including additional sanctions, is needed on Russia to respond to election interference.

“We are in a position now where we have got to show Putin that he'll have to pay a steep price if he doesn't stop this interference now,” Representative Ed Royce of California, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on CNN's “State of the Union.” “Across the board, we need to be pressing, right now.”

Straightforward Threat

Asked how he reconciles the apparent disconnect between Trump and members of his administration on Russia's role in elections, Royce said the president “should be straightforward with the American people” about the threat from Russia and Putin.

The biggest deterrent to Russian interference would be Trump confronting Moscow, but he's doing the opposite -- even as members of his administration are raising alarms, said Representative Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.

“I fear that the message that the Kremlin cares most about is what they hear from Donald Trump, and that is still one of denial and cover for the Russians,” Schiff said on CBS's “Face the Nation.”

--With assistance from Mark Niquette.

To contact the reporter on this story: Arit John in Washington at ajohn34@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Whitelaw at kwhitelaw@bloomberg.net, Mark Niquette, Ros Krasny

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