[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 14, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Leahy, Mr. 
        Durbin, Mr. Whitehouse, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Harris, and Mr. 
        Booker):
  S. 1469. A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit 
interfering in elections with agents of a foreign government; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Prevent 
Foreign Interference with Elections Act of 2019. This bill provides 
enhanced criminal penalties and additional safeguards to prevent 
foreign interference in our elections.
  To be clear, there are already laws on the books to prosecute those 
who interfere in U.S. elections. Indeed, Special Counsel Mueller 
charged Russian intelligence officers who hacked into U.S. computers 
and stole documents, for the purpose of interfering in the 2016 
presidential elections.
  Special Counsel Mueller also charged the Russian Internet Research 
Agency and several of its employees for their role in the social media 
campaign that was designed to manipulate American voters.
  This bill, however, makes election interference a separate criminal 
offense. It makes clear that those who conspire with foreign actors to 
interfere in U.S. elections will be punished appropriately for striking 
at the bedrock of our democracy,
  This bill does five main things.
  First, it explicitly makes it a crime to conspire with foreign 
nationals to interfere in U.S. elections.
  Interference can be accomplished through breaking a federal criminal 
law, such as committing fraud, or by hacking into someone's computer, 
or by violating federal, state, or local election laws.
  As I mentioned, this bill simply leaves no doubt that working with a 
foreign actor to commit these offenses with the goal of interfering in 
a U.S. election is a crime.
  And it requires that those who break this law will be sentenced 
separately, and in addition to any other laws that were broken.
  Second, it makes it so that people convicted of interfering in our 
elections would be inadmissible into the United States.
  There is, however, an important exception. Those who cooperate with 
law enforcement to help catch those responsible for interference would 
be eligible for an S visa.
  Third, it creates a civil action, allowing the Attorney General to 
immediately address foreign interference once U.S. law enforcement 
learns of it.
  This is important because foreign interference can then be stopped as 
soon as it is discovered.
  Fourth, it prohibits foreign-financed elections ads, including 
foreign-financed issue ads and foreign-financed digital ads.
  These expansions will help protect the integrity of our electoral 
process.
  Fifth and finally, it prohibits providing ``substantial assistance'' 
to foreign nationals trying to interfere in our elections.
  It is important that we also hold ourselves accountable by not 
providing aid to those wishing to do us harm.
  To be clear, there was foreign interference in the 2016 Presidential 
election.
  The Intelligence Community unanimously concluded that the Russian 
government interfered by ``blend[ing] covert intelligence operations--
such as cyber activity--with overt efforts by Russian government 
agencies, state-funded media, third-party intermediaries, and paid 
social media users or `trolls.' '' After a nearly two-year 
investigation, Special Counsel Mueller confirmed these core 
conclusions.
  Along the way, his office indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers 
in connection with Russian hacking operations and three companies, 
including the Internet Research Agency and 13 of its employees for 
their role in the social media campaign to influence American voters.
  Unless we do something, this interference will happen again. And to 
stop it, we need to not only make clear that interference will result 
in criminal punishment, we must also update our election laws so that 
they can combat these new cyber-attacks. This bill does both.
  I am introducing this bill today with strong Democratic support, and 
I would particularly like to thank Senator Blumenthal for his 
leadership on this issue.
  It is my sincere hope, however, that my Republican colleagues will 
join us in this important effort as well.
  The issue I speak about today is one that goes to the core of our 
democracy. It is a bi-partisan issue that I hope both Democrats and 
Republicans can join in addressing.
  Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

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