Cicilline Statement on Intelligence Community’s Russia Hacking Report

PAWTUCKET – U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-RI), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and an original co-sponsor of the Protecting Our Democracy Act, which establishes a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate Russia’s efforts to undermine America’s democratic institutions, issued the following statement today on the Intelligence Community’s new assessment of Russia’s activities and intentions:

“It is now even more clear that Vladimir Putin and the Russian government interfered in the 2016 election in order to benefit Donald Trump’s campaign. The Intelligence Community’s findings today reveal the full extent of Russia’s efforts to undermine the American democratic process. These actions are truly disturbing and they cannot go unanswered.”

“It has now been more than 200 days since we first learned of Russia’s cyberattacks on the Democratic National Committee, which resulted in the theft of thousands of documents that were subsequently released through Wikileaks. Congress still has not moved to convene a bipartisan, independent commission to uncover all the relevant facts and ensure this type of attack never happens again. This is unacceptable. Russia’s hacking of our political institutions, and their efforts to tilt the scales towards Mr. Trump represent a new, unprecedented threat to our democracy that we cannot afford to ignore.”

“Unfortunately, some members of Congress and the President-elect himself have attempted to excuse Russia’s egregious behavior when it advances their own political goals. Vladimir Putin is not a friend to the American people – he is a brutal dictator whose repressive values are completely contrary to our own. And in order to uphold our core American values, it is critical that President-elect Trump and his fellow Republicans stop playing politics and work to hold Russia accountable.”

“No matter our political differences, we are all Americans. Country must come before political party. Every American should be alarmed by Russia’s efforts to undermine our democracy. At this critical moment, silence is not an acceptable option.”