SCHUMER REMARKS CALLING FOR SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IN 2016 ELECTIONS

Please see below for a transcript of Sen. Schumer’s remarks this morning in New York City calling for a Senate Select Committee to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election:

“As the days and weeks go forward, it’s clearer and clearer that the Russians hacked our cyber system with the intent of influencing the election. Whether it actually had an effect that will be for the political scientists to determine. But it sure should raise the hackles of every American. The fact that the Russians used cyber security to hack our infrastructure, our economics, our countries is well known. The fact that they’re hacking our political system and trying to influence the outcome as it seems to be: that is serious, serious stuff.

“So last week, here, four senators put out a letter saying we ought to investigate. Today the four of us—Graham, McCain, Republicans, Jack reed and I, Democrats are calling for the next step: special senate investigative committee on government hacking of our elections and other areas. A special select committee that will focus on other foreign governments: Russia, but also China and Iran, and their hacking our political system as well as our economic infrastructure and social system.

“Now, leader McConnell has said let the intelligence committee do this alone. That is not good enough for three reasons.

“First, there are conflicting jurisdictions. The Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over the FBI. The Foreign Affairs Committee has jurisdiction over foreign policy. The Armed Services Committee has jurisdiction over hacking of the military. And the Intelligence Committee of course has jurisdiction over the CIA. With all these conflicting jurisdictions, if we don’t have one select committee—first, things could be left out. There could be holes that no committee covers.

“Second, we could get contradictory information. The FBI says this and the CIA says that, and they’re not reconciled.

“And, third the existing committees are very, very busy. This is a new administration and they’re going to have to spend time vetting nominees and going to have to look at President-elect Trump’s new proposals. A select committee whose only focus is to get to the bottom of this is what is called for. So the four of us—two Democrats and two Republicans are calling for this.

“We don’t want this investigation to be political like the Benghazi investigation. We don’t want it to just be finger pointing at one person or another. We want to find out what the Russians are doing to our political system and what other foreign governments might do to our political system. And then figure out a way to stop it. Only a select committee can do it. The four of us feel very strongly about it. To send it just to one committee or a multiplicity of committees will leave things out, won’t reconcile contradictory information and because the existing committees are so busy in the new administration won’t get the focus that It needs.”

-- U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer