GOP Senator calls for ‘strong response’ against Russia, after cyberattack

Hawkish Republican Senator Mitt Romney has called for “a strong response” against Russia to an alleged cyberattack on US Treasury and Commerce departments, calling it “outrageous affront” on America’s “sovereignty.”

"What Russia has done is put in place a capacity to potentially cripple us in terms of our electricity, our power, our water, our communications," Romney said on Sunday in an interview with CNN.

"This is the same thing you can do in a wartime setting, so it's extraordinarily dangerous, and an outrageous affront on our sovereignty and one that's going to have to be met with a strong response," Romney continued, adding: "Not just rhetorical, important as that is, but also with a cyber response of like magnitude or greater."

US officials and a few members of the US Congress have accused Russia of launching a cyberattack, news of which broke last week, on US federal agencies and networks. Moscow has strongly denied any involvement.

At least six government departments were breached by unknown hackers in an operation thought to have begun in March. It is not known what the hackers may have stolen or how long it will take to get rid of them.

Asked about President Donald Trump's tweets rejecting American officials and suggesting China's possible involvement in the hack, Romney said that Trump had a "blind spot" related to Russia.

Trump downplays hack

Trump on Saturday downplayed the hacking operation that has torn through US government agencies and businesses, deflecting blame away from Russia and suggesting Chinese involvement.

“The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality. I have been fully briefed and everything is well under control. Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is, for mostly financial reasons, petrified of discussing the possibility that it may be China (it may!),” Trump tweeted on Saturday.

The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality. I have been fully briefed and everything is well under control. Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is, for mostly financial reasons, petrified of....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2020

“This hack was so big in scope that even our cybersecurity experts don’t have a real sense yet in the terms of the breadth of the intrusion itself,” said Stephen Lynch, head of the House of Representatives’ oversight and reform committee, after attending a classified briefing.

Congressman Jamie Raskin, another member of the committee, added, “There’s a lot more that we don’t know than what we do know. I’m hopeful the government will learn exactly how this was perpetrated on us and what is the full scope of the damage.”

Hackers target the US agency tasked with securing the nuclear weapons

The US nuclear weapons agency is reportedly targeted by hackers as part of a massive cyber security breach against federal agencies and critical infrastructure.

The US nuclear weapons agency was also reportedly targeted by the hackers as part of a massive cyber security breach against federal agencies and critical infrastructure.

Politico reported on Thursday that hackers targeted the Department of Energy (DOE) and its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which secures the US nuclear weapons stockpile.

The attack was part of a massive cyber campaign that affected at least half a dozen federal agencies, including the Treasury, State, Defense and Commerce Departments, Bloomberg reported.

The US has a total of 3,800 nuclear weapons, many of which were produced during the early years of the Cold War and are overseen by the NNSA.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has suggested Moscow’s involvement but Russia has dismissed any such allegation as baseless.

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