WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar issued the following statement on reports that Russians hacked election infrastructure in 39 states:

“Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. It is clear that a foreign adversary attempted to undermine our election – and now we are learning that as many as 39 states may have been hit by Russian hackers. This is unacceptable. As Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee, I am renewing my call for a classified briefing for the Committee on the full extent of Russian interference in U.S. election systems. As much information as possible should also be made publicly available. We need to know exactly what happened to know how to best strengthen our election infrastructure and prevent it from ever happening again.”

Last week, Klobuchar requested a classified briefing from the Administration on the full extent of Russian interference in U.S. election systems. In February, Klobuchar led a group of 26 senators in calling for a full account of the Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) efforts to address Russian cybersecurity threats.

Klobuchar introduced legislation with four other senators to create an independent, nonpartisan commission to comprehensively investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election. Klobuchar was recently in Ukraine, the Baltic states, and Georgia to reinforce support for our Eastern European allies and to focus on mounting international cybersecurity threats. The bipartisan congressional delegation was led by Republican Senator John McCain from Arizona, the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and also included Klobuchar and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

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