A Homeland Security Department official warned lawmakers Tuesday that Russia may try to penetrate the U.S. electoral process this year.
“Let me state plainly and clearly, the 2018 midterm elections remain a potential target for Russian cyber and influence operations,” said Christopher Krebs, the undersecretary of National Protection and Programs Directorate at DHS.
“We are planning and preparing as if they’ll try again this fall and beyond,” he continued while testifying to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about election security.
Krebs’ comments come days after Trump caused confusion about whether he believes Russia is still trying to influence future elections. At a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Trump responded “no” when asked by a reporter whether Russia is still trying to interfere in American elections. But White House press secretary Sarah Sanders asserted hours later at a press briefing that Trump was saying “no” to reporters asking questions.
In a tweet as the hearing was taking place, Trump said he is “very concerned” Russia will try to influence the upcoming election in favor of Democrats.
[Also read: Trey Gowdy: Whoever advised Trump on Russia should consider resigning]
I’m very concerned that Russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact on the upcoming Election. Based on the fact that no President has been tougher on Russia than me, they will be pushing very hard for the Democrats. They definitely don’t want Trump!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 24, 2018
When asked what guidance he has received from the White House regarding future elections, Krebs said he was told to “secure the election” and that combating Russian interference was a priority.
Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., underscored Krebs’ comments in his opening remarks, saying lawmakers must recognize that “every election henceforth will be subject to attack, and therefore we must be prepared.”
Russia will continue to try and sow discord among Americans and fuel questions into the legitimacy of the electoral process, Gowdy said.
Ranking member Elijah Cummings, D-Md., asked why the hearing was happening now — only four months before midterm elections in November.
“This is the first time since Donald Trump was elected in 2016 that the Oversight Committee has held a full committee hearing [on election security],” he said. “Most states have already held primaries.”
House Republicans voted last week against including additional funding for election security grants to states in a spending bill, infuriating Democrats. Republicans argued that states already had plenty of funding from previous congressional allotments to upgrade election security.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission Commissioner Thomas Hicks told lawmakers Tuesday that about 75 percent of funding provided to states is going toward voter registration, cyber upgrades, and the purchase of new voting equipment.
The Justice Department announced Thursday it would alert the public about foreign cyber operations, like those carried out by Russia during the last election, in the future in an effort to “neutralize them.”
