WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), released the following statement following the news of a massive cyber breach of U.S. government agencies and private sector entities.

“President Trump has once again apparently allowed Russia to conduct a massive cybersecurity intrusion and attack against numerous highly-sensitive government agencies at the federal, local, and state level, in addition to private entities and businesses. The Trump administration should immediately provide high-level and detailed briefings to Congress, as this type of substantial, ongoing attack could potentially be regarded as an act of war. If properly attributed, the aggressors here should face the full consequences and weight of a U.S. government response, which will exact measurable costs on our adversaries and deter future cyberattacks. 

“President Trump has repeatedly failed to fully sanction Russia and embrace the unanimous conclusion of our intelligence community that Russia interfered in our 2016 presidential election, and will continue to keep doing so in order to sow division and undermine our democratic processes. I urge my colleagues to consider the bipartisan Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act (DAKSA), which would counter Russia’s pervasive attacks on our electoral systems and cyber infrastructure. I also look forward to swift confirmation of President-elect Biden’s incoming national security team, so that our law enforcement, Homeland Security, and intelligence, and foreign policy agencies will finally have the strong and Senate-confirmed leadership they need at the helm.”

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