Quigley Statement on the Indictment of 12 Russian Agents
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, released the following statement on Special Counsel Mueller's indictments of twelve Russian government officials for their interference in the 2016 election:
"For almost two years, I've been sounding the alarm that our election infrastructure is nowhere near where it needs to be to inspire confidence in the integrity of our democratic process. The Russians have shown us that our voting technology is outdated and susceptible to attack, and today's indictment of a dozen Russian intelligence officers, including those who conspired to hack Democrats and U.S. election systems, only further reinforces their ability and intentions.
"It is despicable that, despite this news from our law enforcement community, President Trump is still eagerly planning his meeting with Vladimir Putin, the individual who ordered this attack on our nation. President Trump should cancel this meeting immediately and start acting in the interest of our democracy and the American people his government serves. Unfortunately, I suspect that today's announcement from the Mr. Rosenstein will only lead to more of the president's thinly-veiled, partisan attacks on the integrity of our Justice Department—not an honest acknowledgement of the real national security crisis at hand.
"Republicans in Congress also refuse to recognize these vulnerabilities as a legitimate threat and intentionally reversed course to zero out $380 million in election security grants, which I worked to secure in the FY18 omnibus bill. Members on the House Appropriations Committee were given a second chance during the Financial Services & General Government markup, but again refused to recognize this growing threat by failing to adopt my amendment on party lines. Next week, during consideration of the FSGG Appropriations bill, I will re-introduce my amendment to equip states with the financial resources they need to harden their defenses, and it is my hope that in light of today's indictments, Republicans step up to safeguard our democracy from those who wish us harm."
As Ranking Member of the Financial Services & General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. Quigley successfully secured $380 million in new grants to help states fortify and protect election systems from cyber-hacking in the FY18 omnibus spending bill. Last month, he introduced the Prevent Election Hacking Act of 2018 to enlist the help of cyber experts, who are able to identify vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure. As the only Illinois Member on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Quigley also regularly confers with state and local election officials to discuss efforts to protect the integrity of Illinois election systems.