WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement after President Obama announced new sanctions and other actions against Russia in response to the country’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.
“I applaud the responsible steps that President Obama has taken to hold Russia accountable and safeguard our democracy. The intelligence community has concluded that Russia’s interference in our most recent election was unprecedented, and there must be real consequences for such outrageous actions. These sanctions make clear that any efforts to undermine our democratic processes will not be tolerated.
“The hacking of our election systems is not a partisan issue. All Americans, regardless of party affiliation, should be alarmed that any foreign power would interfere in and attempt to undermine the free and fair elections that are the hallmark of our democracy. I’m pleased that my Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle have expressed their support for the sanctions and other actions that have been announced. Congress must work together to ensure that the extent of the Russian hacking is investigated in a comprehensive, transparent and nonpartisan way in order to ensure that this can never happen again.”