House holds hearing on election security amid concerns ahead of 2018 midterms -- live stream
Amid ongoing mixed messages that the president still considers the issue of Russian interference in the 2016 election to be a "hoax," the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is holding a hearing on the role of federal, state and local governments to ensure the integrity of the U.S. election system heading into a closely watched 2018 midterm election season.
Witnesses from the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission are expected to answer lawmakers' questions into the country's readiness for the upcoming elections and how we can best safeguard the democratic process from future bad actors.
Despite the White House's conflicting statements on Russian meddling, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said last week at the Aspen security forum in Colorado that Russia was "absolutely" attempting to interfere in the U.S. election systems in 2016 and that it would be "foolish" to think they aren't trying to do so again in 2018.
Nielsen said DHS is working with state and local election officials going into the midterm elections, sharing information, intelligence and technical assistance to be better prepared for "incident responses."