Senators call for election security briefing as major races draw closer

"They also asked Gabbard to clarify statements she's made since taking office that appear to call into question the security of voting machines in the U.S. Those statements are "harmful and unsubstantiated," the lawmakers wrote. Independent groups test voting platforms for vulnerabilities ahead of major elections, and past reviews show that claims about their poor technical controls stem largely from false narratives spread by foreign adversaries."

"President Donald Trump and his GOP allies have long been suspicious of the U.S. intelligence community, particularly in light of its assessment that Russia aimed to influence the 2016 presidential election in favor of Trump, as well as concerns that it includes a "deep state" of entrenched bureaucrats working to subvert the administration's priorities. Under Gabbard, the White House has sought to diminish those previous findings on Russia."

"Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia and Alex Padilla of California, the top Democrats on the high chamber's intelligence and rules committees, asked Gabbard in a Monday letter to schedule a briefing with senators by Oct. 10 to provide an assessment of planned steps the intelligence community is taking to protect the security of upcoming elections in November, as well as next year's midterms."

Two Democratic senators express concern that the Director of National Intelligence may have directed agencies to stop disclosing intelligence about foreign efforts to undermine U.S. elections and influence outcomes. The senators requested a briefing by Oct. 10 to assess steps the intelligence community will take to secure the November elections and next year's midterms. They asked for clarification of statements questioning voting machine security, calling them "harmful and unsubstantiated." Independent testing of voting platforms occurs ahead of major elections, and prior reviews link claims of poor technical controls largely to false narratives spread by foreign adversaries. Major local races draw national attention.

Read at Nextgov.com