ANY SORT OF TRACE OF RUSSIAN
ACTIVITY?
>> THANK YOU, CLINT WATTS.
JOINING ME NOW IS DEMOCRATIC
SENATOR CHRIS COONS OF DELAWARE,
A MEMBER OF THE FOREIGN
RELATIONS COMMITTEE.
SENATOR, I DON’T THINK YOU’VE
BEEN BRIEFED ON THIS, I DON’T
KNOW, HAVE YOU BEEN BRIEFED ON
THIS YET?
>> ANDREA, NO, I HAVE NOT HAD A
DETAILED, CLASSIFIED BRIEF.
BUT JUST FROM THAT BRIEF
CONVERSATION YOU JUST HAD, THIS
IS A CHILLING EXAMPLE OF HOW
AGGRESSIVE RUSSIAN CYBER
ACTIVITIES HAVE BECOME.
DETERRENCE HAS FAILED.
AFTER THEY TOOK AGGRESSIVE
ACTION TO INTERFERE IN OUR 2016
ELECTION, AFTER THEY’VE TAKEN
ACTIONS IN A NUMBER OF OTHER
COUNTRIES, AS CLINT JUST
DETAILED, WE HAVE FAILED TO
DETER THE RUSSIANS.
WE ARE ONLY GOING TO SEE PUTIN
STOP THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR WHEN
WE STOP HIM.
AND DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS
AND THE INCOMING ADMINISTRATION
NEED TO COME TOGETHER AROUND A
WORKABLE PLAN TO DETER FURTHER
RUSSIAN AGGRESSION THAT
INTERFERES WITH OUR COUNTRY AND
OUR SYSTEMS.
>> AT THIS POINT, ISN’T THIS AN
ATTACK
ATTACK?
AND HOW DO YOU DISTINGUISH THIS
FROM CYBER WAR?
>> IT’S PRETTY HARD TO
DISTINGUISH THIS FROM AN ACT OF
AGGRESSION THAT RISES TO THE
LEVEL OF AN ATTACK THAT
QUALIFIES AS WAR.
I DON’T KNOW THE DETAILS OF THIS
ATTACK YET.
BUT FROM ALL THE OPEN SOURCE
REPORTING WE’RE GETTING,
INCLUDING THE SUMMARY YOU JUST
HEARD, THIS IS AS DESTRUCTIVE
AND BROAD SCALE AN ENGAGEMENT
WITH OUR MILITARY SYSTEMS, OUR
INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS, AS HAS
HAPPENED IN MY LIFETIME.
>> AND WHAT SHOULD THE PRESIDENT
BE DOING?
WHAT WOULD A PRESIDENT BIDEN BE
DOING RIGHT NOW?
>> ANYTHING.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SHOULD BE DOING
ANYTHING.
HE SHOULD BE SPEAKING OUT ABOUT
IT.
HE SHOULD BE CALLING PUTIN ON
THE CARPET AND DEMANDING A
FORCEFUL RESPONSE FROM THE
UNITED STATES AND ALL OF OUR
ALLIES AND DEMANDING A CHANGE IN
BEHAVIOR BY PUTIN.
INSTEAD HE’S SILENT.
AND PART OF WHY PUTIN HAS FELT
COMFORTABLE TAKING RISKIER AND
RISKIER AND MORE AND MORE
AGGRESSIVE ACTIONS, TARGETED
ASSASSINATIONS AGAINST
DISSIDENTS OR DEFECTORS,
AGGRESSIVE ACTIONS ON THE GROUND
IN LIBYA, IN SYRIA, AND MOST
NOTABLY, IN UKRAINE, AND THEN
HIS DIRECT INTERFERENCE IN OUR
2016 ELECTION, IS BECAUSE WE
HAVE FAILED TO DETER HIM.
>> AND WHAT ABOUT PUTIN’S
COMMENTS TODAY ON THIS AND ON
NAVALNY AND HIS DNLSENIALS OF AL
OF HIS AGGRESSION?
>> OF COURSE HE’S GOING TO DENY
THAT HE HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH
THIS.
BUT WE RELY ON OUR INTELLIGENCE
SERVICES TO GIVE US A DETAILED
ANALYSIS OF INCIDENTS LIKE THIS.
I BELIEVE THE RUSSIANS ATTACKED
OUR 2016 ELECTION AND WE HEARD
IN TESTIMONY AFTER TESTIMONY BY
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS
THAT THAT HAPPENED AND WE NEEDED
TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY AND WE
NEEDED TO ACT TO DETER.
WE HEARD FROM KREBS, WHO
TESTIFIED TO CONGRESS, THAT OUR
2020 ELECTION WAS AS SECURE FROM
CYBER INTRUSION AS ANY IN THE
MODERN AGE AND HE WAS FIRED FOR
TELLING THAT TRUTH.
WE NEED AN ADMINISTRATION WHO
CALLS IT LIKE IT IS AND STANDS
UP TO RUSSIA.
THAT WILL BE THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION, STARTING JANUARY
20.
>> HOW SERIOUSLY DO YOU TAKE
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TWEET TODAY
THREATENING TO VETO THE DEFENSE
AUTHORIZATION ACT?
>> WE NEVER KNOW EXACTLY WHAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS GOING TO DO.
SO I TAKE THAT VERY SERIOUSLY.
WE’VE JUST HAD CONVERSATIONS
AMONGST MY COLLEAGUES ABOUT THE
VERY REAL LIKELIHOOD WE WILL
HAVE TO COME BACK BETWEEN
CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S TO
OVERRIDE HIS VETO.
HIS JUSTIFICATION FOR WHY HE
WOULD OVERRIDE THE MOST
IMPORTANT NATIONAL SECURITY BILL
THAT WE PASS EVERY YEAR DOESN’T
RISE TO THE LEVEL OF A
PRESIDENTIAL JUSTIFICATION FOR
THAT STRONG OF AN ACTION.
HE WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY HAVE
THAT VETO OVERRIDDEN.
I HOPE HE WILL RECONSIDER THAT
BEING HIS LAST OR NEXT TO LAST