Schumer addresses U.S. election security in wake of Trump comments

June 18, 2019

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is holding a news conference on securing U.S. elections, after President Trump said last week that he would accept election dirt on opponents from foreign actors.

In a speech on the Senate floor Thursday, Schumer asked if his Republican colleagues were going to “sit and cower” in response to Mr. Trump’s latest comments. He has also condemned Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn for blocking an effort to pass a bill mandating that candidates contact the FBI if offered any election assistance from foreign actors.

“It is truly outrageous that this bill, which should bring all of us together, is being blocked by Republicans,” Schumer tweeted last week.

Mr. Trump made the comments on accepting foreign help in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that aired in part last Wednesday night on “ABC News World Tonight.” Stephanopoulos asked Mr. Trump whether he would take information offered from a foreign actor in the next election, or alert the FBI.

“I think maybe you do both. I think you might want to listen. There’s nothing wrong with listening,” Mr. Trump said.

When Stephanopoulos pointed out that the FBI director has said that a candidate should call if they are offered intelligence on an opponent from a foreign actor, Mr. Trump shot back: “The FBI director is wrong.”

However, on Thursday, Mr. Trump made light of the issue by suggesting it would be absurd if he alerted the FBI to every conversation he has with foreign leaders.

The chair of the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) tweeted a statement last week to be “100% clear” that “it is illegal to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election.”