Castro Statement on Tillerson’s Russia Comments
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement in response to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s comments on Russia:
“69% of Americans believe that Russia interferes in U.S. politics. The Intelligence Community declared that Russia interfered in our 2016 presidential elections. And CIA Director Mike Pompeo and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson both believe Russia will target our elections later this year. But what will it take for the President to accept this fact—argued even by members in his own Administration—and stop this from happening again? Last July, Congress overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act that gave the White House tools to sanction those responsible for meddling in our 2016 election and deter them from doing it again. But in defying the will of Congress, President Trump left these tools out to dry. The only conclusion we can draw from this inaction is that the President is not interested in stopping Russian interference again as we head into elections later this year. It’s clear members of Congress are the only ones who can preserve our democracy, and I urge House Republicans to stop protecting the President and instead protect the American people.”
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