The White House on Tuesday defended itself against criticism after the head of U.S. Cyber Command told lawmakers he has not yet been authorized to disrupt Russian election hacking operations or thwart potential attacks on the 2018 midterm elections.

Adm. Mike Rogers, who leads the National Security Agency, told the Senate Armed Services Committee he has not received authorization from President Trump or Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to take action against Russian actors. Rogers did say, however, that he has not sought permission to do so and has instead been acting within the authority he has as the head of U.S. Cyber Command.