FBI to meet with Sen. Rick Scott about Russian election interference

FBI to meet with Sen. Rick Scott about Russian election interference

by Zachary Halaschak

| April 25, 2019 07:19 PM

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Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said Thursday that he will meet with the FBI in the coming weeks to discuss suspicions that Russia was able to hack into at least one Florida county government computer network during the 2016 presidential election. Allegations that Russian hackers were able to access the network were raised in special counsel Robert Mueller’s 448-page report, which was released last week. Once the news was made public, Scott sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray asking for information the agency had to support the claim.

When former Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., made a similar claim last year, Scott pushed back on the notion calling the claim “irresponsible” and demanded proof. Scott was governor at the time and successfully unseated Nelson during the 2018 midterm elections.

Current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, also said that the FBI reached out to schedule a briefing with him regarding the matter. He said Thursday in Miami that he was upset about the lack of detail provided. “They won’t tell us which county it was. Are you kidding me? Why would you not say something immediately?” said DeSantis. “We’re looking for answers. I think finally next week we’re going to get somebody, or maybe the week after we’re going to have somebody come brief us on what happened.”

Mueller’s report was released last week and indicated that Russian operatives meddled in the 2016 presidential election. Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein wrote a four-page summary of Mueller’s investigation last month that cleared Trump of both colluding with Russia and obstructing justice.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/fbi-to-meet-with-sen-rick-scott-about-russian-election-interference