Sen. Warner on Obama administration response to Russia interference

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee in the 115th Congress, issued a statement today on the Obama Administration’s announcement that it will impose additional sanctions on Russia in response to Russian hacking and interference in the electoral process:

“The actions the President took today are an important step, but preventing Russia from interfering in our elections will require a sustained response from the next administration and from Congress.

“We are obligated to conduct a thorough, timely and bipartisan investigation in the 115th Congress with the goal of releasing as much information as possible, while protecting sources and methods, so that the American people can understand exactly what happened and what could well happen again if we fail to respond appropriately.

“Make no mistake: Russia’s actions were not those of a friend. I am grateful to the intelligence community for their hard work to warn us about Russia’s efforts to interfere in the democratic process. I will continue to urge the incoming administration to respect the expertise and conclusions reached by our intelligence professionals, and to take actions that treat Russia’s interference with the seriousness it deserves.”