Letter to President Donald Trump - Denounce Russian Attacks and Strengthen Election Cyber Security

Letter

Dear President Trump:

We write with complete and total dismay and alarm over your comments at the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and your failure to both recognize and denounce his attacks on American democracy. Never, in the course of our nation's history, has a president sided with a foreign adversary--one responsible for a coordinated attack on our free and open elections--over our own U.S. intelligence community.

We now know, unequivocally, that -- on the order of President Putin -- Russian officials attacked at least 21 state systems during the 2016 election, as part of a coordinated effort to influence our elections. Last week, FBI special counsel Robert Mueller indicted twelve Russian intelligence officers accused of interfering in the 2016 election. The U.S. intelligence community confirmed these facts in no uncertain terms. Your inconsistency in accepting those facts, and your inability to confront President Putin, poses a direct threat to our national security and to our freedoms.

Our election systems remain targets of foreign interference. On February 13, 2018, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that "persistent and disruptive cyber operations" would continue "using elections as opportunities to undermine democracy" in the United States in 2018 and beyond. In that same hearing, he affirmed that he had already seen evidence Russia was targeting U.S. elections in November 2018.

As governors, we remain committed to protecting our states' election systems. There is nothing more fundamental to the enduring success of our American democracy, and we take seriously our responsibility to protect the integrity and security of our elections. Through the National Governors Association and public-private partnerships, we have led a number of bipartisan initiatives on cybersecurity to bolster the security of our election infrastructure. States are leading the way in protecting voters, but more has to be done to send a clear message: Interference in our elections will not be tolerated.

We cannot take a passive stance while a hostile foreign government continues to undermine our democracy. And we certainly cannot defend or actively condone Russia's actions, which is what you are choosing to do. Ignoring the real threats Russia poses to our elections is, quite frankly, un-American. This is an imminent national security threat that transcends party lines. This is a matter of protecting and preserving fair elections--the underpinning of our democracy.

As governors, we are committed to ensuring that every vote is protected and counted. Americans need a president who is willing to stand-up to a foreign adversary that continues to threaten our basic rights and freedom.

We call on you to stand with the American people and lead by denouncing the Russian government's assault on the fundamental and basic right of Americans to elect their leaders without interference. We call on you to enforce and strengthen sanctions against Russia and hold them accountable for their continued attacks. Lastly, we call on you to support strong congressional action to help states secure our elections and protect our democracy from Russian cyberattacks. The American people deserve better.

Sincerely,

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