Security Of State Election Systems The Focus Of Dueling Capitol Hill Hearings

By Brian Naylor

June 21, 2017, 9:09am CT

Homeland Secretary Jeh Johnson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016, before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on on terror threats. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Security Of State Election Systems The Focus Of Dueling Capitol Hill Hearings

By Brian Naylor

June 21, 2017, 9:09am CT

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Wednesday is likely to be a busy, consequential day in the ongoing multiple Capitol Hill investigations into Russian meddling in last year’s presidential election.

Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson testified before the House Intelligence Committee as part of that panel’s Russia probe.

Johnson’s prepared opening remarks have already been released by the committee:

“In 2016 the Russian government, at the direction of Vladimir Putin himself, orchestrated cyberattacks on our nation for the purpose of influencing our election — plain and simple. Now, the key question for the President and Congress is: What are we going to do to protect the American people and their democracy from this kind of thing in the future?”

While Johnson is testifying on the House side, the Senate Intelligence Committee will be holding its own hearing focused on state election systems. Senators will be hearing from cybersecurity experts from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security as well as from representatives of state election systems and state secretaries of state across the country.

The hearings Wednesday potentially refocus all of the recent drama in Washington about the Russian election meddling narrative back on the facts and details of what Russian intelligence services sought to do to breach the security of state election systems, among other things, in order to interfere in the 2016 presidential race.

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