BOSTON, MA – Yesterday, Congressman Stephen F. Lynch (D-Boston) sent a letter to Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee Jason Chaffetz requesting the Committee commence a bipartisan investigation to examine reports that Russia engaged in cyberespionage targeting the United States to interfere with the 2016 U.S. federal elections. Congressman Lynch, the lead Democrat on the National Security Subcommittee, highlighted that a bipartisan investigation would help address weaknesses in public and private cybersecurity in order to safeguard critical government and private institutions against cyberattacks. Congressman Lynch also requested a classified briefing regarding Russia and the elections.

“I am deeply concerned about reports that Russia targeted our democratic institutions and engaged in cyberespionage in order to interfere with our federal elections. Based on the intelligence communities’ assessment, it is a matter of national security that the Oversight Committee thoroughly examines any vulnerability in our cybersecurity systems and protects both individuals and institutions from potentially devastating data breaches. The Oversight Committee owes it to the American people to conduct a transparent bipartisan investigation into these critical national security concerns,” said Congressman Lynch.

In particular, Congressman Lynch’s letter notes “the grave security threat posed by Russian Government cyberoperations…most recently evidenced by U.S. Intelligence Community reports indicating that Russia sought to interfere with the 2016 U.S. federal elections. On October 7, 2016, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security issued an unprecedented joint statement expressing confidence on behalf of the U.S. Intelligence Community that the ‘Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions’ in order to ‘interfere with the US election process.’”

The full text of the letter is available here.