US Rep. Sherrill Says Russian Threat Not Being Taken Seriously

PARSIPPANY, NJ - The suspected Russian hack last week is the latest in a series of cyberattacks being downplayed by the Trump administration, according to U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill.

"This most recent cyberattack by hackers with alleged ties to the Russian government shows that while the Trump administration is busy courting Putin’s approval, the Russian intelligence community is busy attacking our most sensitive networks," Sherrill said. "Put simply — this President’s permissiveness and willful lack of action are serious national security threats that have left us vulnerable to one of the most pervasive cyberattacks in our country’s history.”

Contradicting his secretary of state and other top officials, President Donald Trump on Saturday suggested without evidence that China — not Russia — may be behind the grave cyberattack against the United States and tried to minimized its impact.

In his first comments on the breach, Trump scoffed at the focus on the Kremlin and downplayed the intrusions, which the nation's cybersecurity agency has warned posed a "grave" risk to government and private networks.

Sherrill said her experience leads her to believe the threat is real.

“When I was in the Navy, I worked with the Commander of Naval Forces in Europe to address Russia’s threats. I’ve partnered with our allies in Europe and liaised with the Russian military," she said. "One thing is extremely clear to me: this administration has not taken this threat seriously, with disastrous results."

Sherrill noted that since she joined Congress, she has taken every possible opportunity to push the government to address the threat posed by Russia’s malign activities.

"I’ve formed a bipartisan working group, I’ve worked with my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, and I’ve taken my case to the White House Situation Room, all with the goal of confronting Russian aggression," Sherrill said. "Time and again, I’ve been met with political stonewalling from this administration. We have asked for answers, begged for action, and plainly told administration officials that Russia was trying to infiltrate our government."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the government was still "unpacking" the cyberattack and some of it would likely remain classified.

"But suffice it to say there was a significant effort to use a piece of third-party software to essentially embed code inside of U.S. government systems and it now appears systems of private companies and companies and governments across the world as well. "This was a very significant effort and I think it's the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity," he said in the interview with radio talk show host Mark Levin.

Throughout his presidency, Trump has refused to blame Russia for well-documented hostilities, including its interference in the 2016 election to help him get elected. He blamed his predecessor, Barack Obama, for Russia's annexation of Crimea, has endorsed allowing Russia to return to the G-7 group of nations and has never taken the country to task for allegedly putting bounties on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

Though Pompeo was the first Trump administration official to publicly blame Russia for the attacks, cybersecurity experts and other U.S. officials have been clear over the past week that the operation appears to be the work of Russia. There has been no credible suggestion that any other country — including China — is responsible.

Democrats in Congress who have received classified briefings have also affirmed publicly that Russia, which in 2014 hacked the State Department and interfered through hacking in the 2016 presidential election, was behind it.

It's not clear exactly what the hackers were seeking, but experts say it could include nuclear secrets, blueprints for advanced weaponry, COVID-19 vaccine-related research and information for dossiers on government and industry leaders.

Russia has said it had "nothing to do" with the hacking.

This post contains reporting from the Associated Press via White House Patch.

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