[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 17, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1596-S1597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Election Security

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam President, I come to the floor today to discuss 
yesterday's report from the Intelligence Committee, a public report, 
which confirmed what we all suspected last year: that the Russian 
Federation favored Donald Trump's reelection and sought to influence 
the outcome by amplifying attacks on Joe Biden and his family. While 
the scale of interference appears to be less than what we saw in 2016, 
the receptiveness of Trump's inner circle appears to have been about 
the same. They were open for business.
  I am not here to relitigate the 2016 or 2020 elections; I am here to 
raise my concern with the fact that, for two election cycles in a row 
now, the Republican Party's nominee for President sought to normalize 
foreign interference in our elections. And I want to be clear. It is 
wrong, it is hostile, it is undemocratic, and it must stop if you want 
the American people to have the confidence in the legitimacy and the 
credibility of our elections going forward.
  This is not about party; this is about the durability of our 
democracy. Everyone in this body has an important role to play in 
rejecting foreign interference and restoring trust in our election 
process.
  While the contents of the report came as no surprise, its findings 
were nonetheless breathtaking. Our intelligence community is highly 
confident--the highest assessment they have on any given issue--in its 
assessment that Vladimir Putin was involved in the operation whereby 
Andrii Derkach and Konstantin Kilimnik successfully manipulated 
President Trump's inner circle, including his personal attorney, Rudy 
Giuliani.
  Thankfully, the American people had better sense than Mr. Giuliani 
and rejected the Kremlin-backed lies about Joe Biden and his family. 
That, however, does not diminish the fact that the Russian Government 
undertook this effort and the former President welcomed it. The Russian 
interference detailed in this report occurred at the very same time the 
Trump administration sought to publicly downplay the role played by 
Russia.
  This report was mandated by Congress and for good reason. Americans 
deserve to know exactly who is interfering in our democracy and how. As 
I said before, everyone has a role to play, including the American 
people. We have to encourage Americans to practice better cyber 
security and to scrutinize the information they see on the web. 
Carefully examining social media posts before sharing them must become 
the new hallmark of a patriotic, active, and informed citizenry. And 
our social media companies must do a better job stopping the 
proliferation of foreign disinformation on their platforms.
  The health of our democracy depends on this vigilance. The Kremlin 
will continue to attack our elections and seek to sow divisions among 
us. We have a responsibility to resist this interference and not make 
their job any easier.
  We live in a media environment where Donald Trump and his Republican 
allies continue to this day to promote unhinged conspiracy theories 
that the election was stolen. The intelligence report confirms this is 
not true.
  Some Republican officials have promoted wild conspiracy theories that 
China supported Democratic campaigns. The intelligence report confirms 
this was not true.
  Former President Trump and his allies still assert that Venezuela 
manipulated voting machines. A companion report by the Department of 
Justice and Homeland Security confirmed this is not true.
  We must come to terms with the fact that while Russia has 
aggressively promoted disinformation in our country, the most 
pernicious engine of lies in the United States is cast by the former 
President himself.
  Knowing the facts sets a foundation for action, and I look forward to 
engaging with this administration on measures to respond to our 
intelligence community's findings. There should be sanctions required 
in response to this interference, and the administration should move 
quickly to impose them.
  I welcome the approach thus far by the Biden administration as it 
crafts a Russia policy that calls out Kremlin aggression when it 
happens and takes strong measures in response. The sanctions imposed in 
response to the Navalny assassination attempt demonstrate that such 
reckless and dangerous behavior will not be tolerated. And our efforts 
to hold the Kremlin accountable will include close coordination with 
our European allies.
  The package of sanctions announced on March 2 shows how committed the 
Biden administration is to confronting Kremlin aggression. This type of 
rigor in the development of sanctions packages is a welcome reminder of 
how our government should work. The Navalny sanctions were a good first 
step, and I look forward to soon seeing the results of the 
administration's review of Russia policy. In my view, we need a 
strategy that accomplishes four main goals.
  One, limiting the Kremlin's ability to interfere in our democracy as 
well as those of our allies and partners. This includes a comprehensive 
plan to counter Russian-generated propaganda and corruption around the 
world.
  Two, standing up for our friends in Ukraine who are literally on the 
frontlines battling Kremlin aggression. They need our diplomatic 
support in Europe. They need our security assistance to defend 
themselves. They need our encouragement to reform democratic 
institutions. I hope that President Biden will soon speak with 
President Zelensky to send these important messages.
  Three, we have a responsibility to engage with the Russian Government 
when it is in our national security interests. I supported the 
extension of the New START agreement and urge the administration to 
continue to advance arms control policies that advance stability and 
our national security.
  Finally, our Russia policy must extend a hand to the Russian people, 
many of whom have courageously turned out by the thousands in 
opposition to Putin and his government. Their struggle for democracy is 
theirs,

[[Page S1597]]

not ours, but we must make clear that our disagreements are not with 
them but with Vladimir Putin and his corrupt, autocratic regime.
  Defending our elections isn't just about strong cyber measures, 
protecting the ballot box, and promoting better practices on social 
media. It is about having a foreign policy that clearly communicates 
our values and interests, one that leaves no room for debate over the 
openness of any American President to foreign interference. It is about 
a foreign policy that recognizes how the Kremlin's efforts to weaken 
democracy in Ukraine or in other European countries ultimately 
threatens democracy here in the United States. It is about a foreign 
policy that works with allies and partners, not one that denigrates 
them at every turn.
  The intelligence community is getting better at detecting and 
guarding against interference, but we must remain vigilant. Russia and 
other foreign actors will continue to attack our democratic process. 
Their tactics may evolve, but their intentions remain the same, and we 
need to stay one step ahead of them.
  The Biden administration is off to a good start in defending our 
democracy. As chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, I look 
forward to working together to advance policies that reflect America's 
time-honored democratic values both at him and abroad.