Trump’s Stubborness Blocking Planning to Ward Off Future Cyberattacks

Even as a special prosecutor and congressional committees sift through evidence of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election – and the possible involvement of President Trump’s campaign – the Trump administration is ignoring the possibility of an electronic attack on future U.S. elections, The Washington Post charges in a story published today.

“Rather than search for ways to deter Kremlin attacks or safeguard U.S. elections, Trump has waged his own campaign to discredit the case that Russia poses any threat and he has resisted or attempted to roll back efforts to hold Moscow to account,” Post reporters Greg Miller, Greg Jaffe, and Philip Rucker write.

The president “has never convened a Cabinet-level meeting on Russian interference or what to do about it,” administration officials told The Post. “Although the issue has been discussed at lower levels at the National Security Council, one former high-ranking Trump administration official said there is an unspoken understanding within the NSC that to raise the matter is to acknowledge its validity, which the president would see as an affront,” the newspaper reported.

Common Cause has called repeatedly for the appointment of an independent commission, similar to those created after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, to investigate Russia’s election meddling and make recommendations to ensure it is not repeated.

 “Overall, U.S. officials told the Post, “the Kremlin believes it got a staggering return on an operation that by some estimates cost less than $500,000 to execute and was organized around two main objectives — destabilizing U.S. democracy and preventing Hillary Clinton, who is despised by [Russian President Valdimir] Putin, from reaching the White House.

“The bottom line for Putin, said one U.S. official briefed on the stream of post-election intelligence, is that the operation was ‘more than worth the effort.’”

The full report, based on interviews with 50 current and former U.S. officials, including some who worked in the Trump campaign and the presidential transition, is available here. It’s well worth your time.

 

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