Szymoniak letter: Risch on hacking

The following statements by Sen. Jim Risch worry me; of even greater concern are that Soviet attacks on our country do not seem to concern a member of the Foreign Relations Committee a great deal.

“I’ve sat through hundreds of hours of briefings over the last eight years on hacking and attempted hacking — and it’s ubiquitous, it’s constant,” Risch said in an interview. “From where I sit, these things aren’t surprising to me. I’m a little amazed that the rest of the world is so surprised at this — because it is reported.”

“I’ve heard all this stuff, but certainly anybody who needs more should pursue it,” Risch said.

“This really shouldn’t shock people. What you need to look at is: Was there an effect that they had on the election? And so far I’ve seen nobody who claims that they can prove that the Russians — or any other state actor for that matter — influenced our elections.”

I don’t want Russia or any other government to mess with this country. I wish Idaho’s bored senator would go to work on this problem or come home. Senator, this is not just another day at the office.

This story was originally published January 22, 2017 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Szymoniak letter: Risch on hacking."