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For Immediate Release
Contact:

David Vance (202) 736-5712 dvance@commoncause.org

President Trump's Ongoing Denial of Russian Threat Reinforces Need for Congressional Action

Statement of Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn

WASHINGTON

President Trump's continued efforts to obfuscate and dodge forcefully addressing Russian interference in the 2016 election hammer home the need for Congress to act to safeguard our elections and our democracy. Americans expect their President and other elected officials to put their country before their party when facing an ongoing threat from a hostile foreign state.

President Trump's statements and actions today with regards to the Russian threat are completely untethered from reality and run contrary to the conclusions of every U.S. intelligence agency that the Russian government staged a major attack on the 2016 election in an effort to elect him. President Trump continues to undermine the U.S. Department of Justice, the bipartisan report from the Senate Intelligence Committee, and the unanimous assessment of the American intelligence community. President Trump stands alone with Vladimir Putin.

Russia remains an ongoing threat to the integrity of our elections and to our nation. Only last week the Justice Department handed down indictments of a dozen Russian intelligence agents, adding to a slew of previous indictments related to the attack on the 2016 election. But unfortunately Trump apologists in Congress are preparing to attempt to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to undermine the Mueller probe which continues to secure guilty pleas and hand down indictments at a brisk pace. This probe must be protected by those in Congress willing to put their country before their party.

Many states and municipalities are taking critical steps to address the very serious threat to their election infrastructure, but our election infrastructure remains extremely vulnerable. Outdated and insecure voting systems must be replaced. Voters must be able to mark paper ballots which they can verify -- and which can serve as a back up. Election results must be audited manually to establish high confidence that the outcome is correct. Our democracy depends on it.

To view this release online, click here.

Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.

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