U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said in a recent interview that she has been directed by President Donald Trump to secure and protect future elections from meddling.
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Nielsen warned the audience, as well as the American people, that Russia is not yet done meddling in elections. “It’s July, so we still have August, we still have September, we still have October, we have November. I think we should be absolutely prepared to assume that they will try to interfere in all 50 states,” she said.
“So what are we doing about that right now,” moderator Peter Alexander of NBC News asked. “What can the DHS do actively to help stop that? And is the president — has he met with you personally, given you the directive to make sure that the U.S. is preparing itself for an attack on the midterms from Russia, like the last one,” Alexander asked. (RELATED: SARAH SANDERS EXPLAINS WHY TRUMP’S ACTIONS ON RUSSIA SPEAK LOUDER THAN HIS WORDS)
“Yes, we have had meetings with the president, we have another one coming up … at a very high level we’re information sharing, we’re giving them intel they need, technical systems, and then we’re helping them be prepared for instant response,” Nielsen responded. “I’m happy to report it was on Saturday that all 50 states are now working with us, in some cases they’re using our services extensively, in other cases they’re growing capability organically, and in some cases they’re hiring outside expertise.”
The secretary’s comments come amid an onslaught of criticism from both parties as to whether the president has been taking the issue of Russian election meddling seriously enough, and whether he has any intentions of stopping it in the future.
Trump has been praised at times for the tough actions he has taken with respect to Russia, but has been severely and almost universally criticized for his rhetoric. (RELATED: CNN’S POPPY HARLOW SAYS TRUMP HAS BEEN TOUGHER ON RUSSIA THAN OBAMA)