PROTECT THE MIDTERMS: Demand Congress Act to Prevent Russian Attacks

SUM Working Group C2A

THE ISSUE

No doubt historians will have much to say about the July 16 Trump-Putin summit, especially Trump’s insistence that the leader speak alone. Trump sided with Putin over his own intelligence services during a joint press conference and cast doubt on their unanimous conclusion that Russia launched a massive cyberattack against the U.S., findings confirmed just two weeks before by the Senate Intelligence Committee. It was a puzzling display of subservience to a dictator who attacked the U.S., supports a murderous regime in Syria, and is suspected of releasing chemical weapons against civilians in England. Trump’s performance drew criticism even from normally silent or supportive Republicans, including Susan Collins. Meanwhile, there is increasing evidence that Russian attacks went beyond misinformation and propaganda and are continuing and intelligence experts say the midterm elections are a prime target for Russia. Despite the revelations, Trump continues to deny Russia attacked the U.S. and House Republicans (including Rep. Poliquin) recently declined to renew badly needed election security funding. Americans still don’t know what Trump and Putin discussed behind closed doors in Helsinki and Trump recently invited Putin to the U.S., without discussing it with his chief intelligence officer. Trump has since postponed that visit following public outcry and push back from leaders of both parties.

THE ACTION

• Ask King to join Collins in co-sponsoring the bipartisan DETER Act, S. 2313, which would bar foreign governments or any agents from purchasing advertisements and using media to influence U.S. elections, mandate reporting to Congress if this rule is broken, and require new sanctions against Russia should Putin attempt to influence future elections.
• Ask King to join Collins in co-sponsoring the bipartisan Secure Elections Act, S.2261, which mandates election auditing, streamlines the way state and federal officials exchange threat information, and requires the Department of Homeland Security to share hacking information with states in real time.
• Ask Collins and Poliquin to join King and Pingree in co-sponsoring the DISCLOSE Act (S.1585/HR 1134), which requires organizations pumping money into elections to disclose their donors, and ask Collins and Rep. Poliquin to sign on as well.
• Call on the entire Maine delegation to call for hearings on the Helsinki summit, including subpoenaing the U.S. interpreter in the closed-door meeting between Trump and Putin and to demand that Trump enforce the sanctions on Russia he signed into law last August.