US senators: Russia should be sanctioned for election hacks
WASHINGTON - U.S. senators visiting eastern European allies to discuss security issues called for sanctions against Russia for interfering in the presidential election by hacking American political sites and email accounts. Their demands came amid ongoing discussions among U.S. officials on an imminent response that would ensure the U.S. takes action against Russia before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
"We have to sanction Russia for these cyberattacks (and) send a clear message to the incoming administration that there is a lot of bipartisan support in Congress for going after this," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., told The Associated Press by phone from Latvia.
Klobuchar joined Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in their visits to some of Russia's neighbors -- the Baltic states, Ukraine and Georgia -- as well as Montenegro.
Russian officials have denied the Obama administration's accusation that the highest levels of the Russian government were involved in trying to influence the U.S. presidential election. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia's goal was to help Trump win -- an assessment Trump has dismissed as ridiculous.
