'No doubt' Russia behind hacks on U.S.
election system: senior Democrat
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[October 03, 2016]
By Dustin Volz
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior Democratic
lawmaker said Sunday he had "no doubt" that Russia was behind recent
hacking attempts targeting state election systems, and urged the Obama
administration to publicly blame Moscow for trying to undermine
confidence in the Nov. 8 presidential contest.
The remarks from Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the
intelligence committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, come amid
heightened concerns among U.S. and state officials about the security of
voting machines and databases, and unsubstantiated allegations from
Republican candidate Donald Trump that the election could be "rigged."
"I have no doubt [this is Russia]. And I don’t think the administration
has any doubt," Schiff said during an appearance on ABC's "This Week."
Schiff's call to name and shame the Kremlin came a week after Trump
questioned widely held conclusions made privately by the U.S.
intelligence community that Russia is responsible for the hacking
activity.
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"It could be Russia, but it could also be China," Trump said during a
televised debate with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. "It also
could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds."
On Saturday, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said hackers have
probed the voting systems of many U.S. states but there is no sign that
they have manipulated any voting data.
Schiff said he doubted hackers could falsify vote tallies in a way to
affect the election outcome. Officials and experts have said the
decentralized and outdated nature of U.S. voting technology makes such
hacks more unlikely.
But cyber attacks on voter registration systems could "sow discord" on
election day, Schiff said. He further added that leaks of doctored
emails would be difficult to disprove and could "be election altering."
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A man walks past a sign for the U.S. vice-presidential debate at
Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia October 2, 2016.
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The National Security Agency, FBI and DHS all concluded weeks ago
that Russian intelligence agencies conducted, directed or
coordinated all the major cyberattacks on U.S. political
organizations, including the Democratic National Committee, and
individuals, a U.S. official who is participating in the
investigations said on Sunday.
However, the official said, White House officials have resisted
naming the Russians publicly because doing so could result in
escalating cyberattacks, and because it is considered impossible to
offer public, unclassified proof of the allegation.
Schiff and Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the U.S.
Senate intelligence committee, said last month they had concluded
Russian intelligence agencies were "making a serious and concerted
effort to influence the U.S. election."
(Reporting by Dustin Volz and John Walcott; Editing by Nick
Zieminski)
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