U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) announced legislation on Friday that would mandate investigations and sanctions in response to allegations that Russia authorized cyberattacks on U.S. political groups.
The Obama administration announced on Friday that Russia directed hackers to steal and disclose emails from the Democratic National Committee in an effort to influence November’s elections, the New York Times reports.
Gardner’s bill would require the administration to investigate anyone who has undermined U.S. cybersecurity and “aggressively” pursue sanctions against those who are found guilty.
“(Friday’s) news is further evidence of what happens when the Obama administration fails to take the cyber threat seriously,” Gardner, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy, said. “That is why I plan to introduce legislation that builds upon my North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act by mandating the administration sanction Russia’s bad actors who are responsible for malicious cyber activities.”
Gardner’s North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act cleared both the House and the Senate with bipartisan support before being signed into law by President Barack Obama. The law imposes mandatory sanctions on those who contribute to North Korean nuclear proliferation, censorship of citizens and cyberattacks.
“Russia’s interference with American democracy is a direct threat to our political process, and it may only be the tip of the iceberg,” Gardner said. “It is imperative that Russia’s behavior is met with strength in the form of aggressive sanctions to show the world that its cybercrimes will not be tolerated.”