Colorado’s Gardner seeks a Senate cybersecurity watchdog
Some Republicans are taking reports of Russian hackers involvement in the presidential election more seriously than others. President-elect Donald Trump says it’s “ridiculous.” Colorado’s Republican U.S. senator, Cory Gardner, says it’s an emerging threat.
Senate and House Republican leaders, Sen. Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, also have condemned the Russian cyberattacks and promised congressional inquiry.
Monday, Gardner, called for the establishment of a permanent select committee on cybersecurity in the Senate, citing the Russian hackers.
“Cybersecurity policy is one of the most significant and complex challenges facing Congress, yet the Senate’s current structure to address cyber attacks remains inefficient,” Gardner, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, said in a statement. “According to the Congressional Research Service, at least 19 standing committees between the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have held hearings related to cybersecurity.
“That’s why I’m renewing my call for the creation of a permanent select committee on cybersecurity, which would be narrowly focused on providing oversight of our strategy to protect sensitive data, defend our networks, and to deter malicious cyber actors. Recent reports from our intelligence community concluded that Russia attempted to influence the U.S. presidential election, serving as yet another reminder of the host of emerging threats in cyberspace.”