Chairman Gowdy Statement on Election Security Briefing

Washington, DC – House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy released the following statement after the Committee held a classified briefing on election security and foreign influence operations ahead of the midterm elections.

“In 2016, hostile foreign actors attempted to undermine the fundamentals of our democracy and challenge the reliability of the 2016 election. As we near midterm elections, we must take every step possible to safeguard our electoral process and ensure our fellow citizens have confidence in the security of our elections. I appreciate DHS, ODNI, FBI and DOJ appearing before the Committee this morning.”

Briefers

Matthew Masterson

Senior Cybersecurity Advisor for Elections, National Protection and Programs Directorate

Department of Homeland Security

Christopher Wright

Cyber Division Mission Manager and Director for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis

Department of Homeland Security

Shelby Pierson 

National Intelligence Manager for Russia, Europe, and Eurasia

Director of National Intelligence

Taylor Call

Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Russia and Eurasia

Director of National Intelligence

Vinh Nguyen

National Intelligence Officer for Cyber

Director of National Intelligence

Joe Bonavolonta

Deputy Assistant Director

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Adam Hickey

Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division

Department of Justice

Background

• This briefing is a follow-up to the Committee’s hearing on July 24, 2018, “Cyber-securing the Vote:  Ensuring the Integrity of the U.S. Election System.”