House Homeland Security Committee Chairman: Confident Russia Tried to Interfere With Election

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) does not share President-elect Donald Trump's skepticism about the intelligence concerning Russia's interference in the recent election. In a press conference on new cybersecurity recommendations from a Center for Strategic and International Studies’ task force he co-chairs, Chairman McCaul said he had made it clear to the Obama Administration and the incoming Trump Administration that—from the intel he had seen, both classified and non-classified—Russia interfered with the election and there should be consequences.

Chairman McCaul said the intelligence community is not always right, citing the Iraq weapons of mass destruction intel, but in this case he appeared confident that Russia had tried to interfere with the election, and, if not favor one candidate, perhaps disfavor another. Chairman McCaul said his highest cybersecurity priority would be push for a single, strong cybersecurity agency under the Department of Homeland security. He also said the government needs to do more to help networks protect themselves and share threat information. He said the criminals, hactivists and nation states are winning the cyber war, undermining "the very foundations of our Republic."