Hirono: The American people deserve to know the full extent of Russian interference in 2016 election
2016 election Joins call for bipartisan, independent inquiry into Russian interference, leads call for President Obama to declassify relevant intelligence
Senator Mazie K. Hirono – a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence – expressed her support for an independent, bipartisan, Congressional inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election and raised six important questions this review should answer.
“The Intelligence Community’s assessment that Russia intended to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election is deeply disturbing,” said Senator Hirono. “Last month I joined my colleagues on the Senate Intelligence Committee in writing a letter to urge President Obama to de-classify information about Russian interference. The American people deserve to know as much as possible about Russia’s attacks on our democratic institutions. This is something he can and should do quickly.
“President Obama recently asked the Intelligence Community to provide an assessment before he leaves office. This is an important and positive step.
“I also support an independent, bipartisan, Congressional inquiry into this matter. This review should focus on answering, among others, the following core questions:
- To what extent were computer systems at U.S. national party committees compromised?
- To what extent was information stolen from those computer systems disclosed?
- Was information leaked from both political party organizations equally – and if not, why not?
- Did staff members of the presidential campaigns have any contact with Russian officials or Wikileaks during the campaign?
- To what degree are Russian President Vladimir Putin or other high-ranking officials personally involved in directing these Russian activities?
- How do we prevent Russia from interfering in future U.S. elections?”
