WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar released the following statement on reports that Russian agents may have used Facebook advertisements as part of their interference in the 2016 election:

“We are learning more and more about the tactics Russia used to interfere in our democracy. Based on new reports, I am calling on the Federal Election Commission to expand their investigation to include Russian use of Facebook advertisements, in a manner which may have violated campaign finance laws, to undermine our election. This is an outrage, and we need to get to bottom of exactly what happened to ensure it doesn't happen again."

In early January, 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. In February, Klobuchar, the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, 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.

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