Senator Cory Gardner is going further than many of his peers asking for a Congressional investigation into possible Russian interference with last month’s election – he wants to establish a permanent committee on cybersecurity in the Senate. It is probably a good call.
For a long time, Gardner has recognized the emerging threat of cybersecurity and the nation’s vulnerability to online attacks and spying from other countries, terrorist groups, and organized crime. Back in October, he was early in calling for an investigation of alleged Russian hacking that may have interfered with the presidential election. At an American Enterprise Institute conference in 2015, Gardner called for a committee to address cybersecurity in response to Chinese actions against American interests.
In yesterday’s press release, Gardner noted that 19 Congressional committees have held meetings on cybersecurity. He believes that the Senate needs to have a single committee “narrowly focused on providing oversight of our strategy to protect sensitive data, defend our networks, and to deter malicious cyber actors.”
It’s interesting to note that while many Republicans are eager to get to the bottom of any possible Russian hacking episodes surrounding the election, Democrats still remain silent on the dangerous fallout from the Iran deal. This tells us that only one of the political parties is actually taking a serious approach to addressing enemies of our country.
Democrats’ cries about Russian interference with the election may turn out to be just political noise. It does not make sense that Russians would prefer a President Trump, who would put fire breathing generals into positions of power and influence over American foreign policy, over Hillary Clinton, who did little to push back against Russian aggression in Europe and the Middle East. But if this episode can shine some light on the growing threat of cyber crimes against the United States, and actually compel the government to direct more resources to the issue, the result will be a more secure America.