Pompeo: ‘We will not tolerate’ Russian interference in 2018 elections

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday that the Trump administration “will not tolerate” Russian attempts to meddle in U.S. elections, including November’s midterms.

Pompeo said the State Department’s Global Engagement Center would work with a budget of over $55 million to counter Moscow’s influence in the U.S. political system and around the world.

“We will work with the $55-plus million available to cover both its original mission, countering extremism, plus countering state-sponsored disinformation campaigns,” Pompeo said.

{mosads}”We will not tolerate Russian interference in our 2018 elections. Much work has been done; there’s more to do,” he added. “Rest assured that we will take the appropriate countermeasures in response to the continued Russian efforts.”

The intelligence community determined in 2017 that the Kremlin was responsible for a disinformation campaign during the 2016 election aimed at helping Trump’s campaign and damaging Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent.

A number of Russian nationals have been indicted in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe over their alleged roles in a scheme to sow disinformation and divisive rhetoric on Facebook and other social media platforms in swing states during the election. 

Pompeo, whose tenure as America’s top diplomat began last month, has signaled he’s taking a harder line against Russian meddling attempts, including several statements lecturing Russia for disinformation efforts during the 2016 presidential election.

President Trump himself has often struck a softer tone on Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, than his own administration, saying better relations with Moscow would be a good thing for American citizens.

“The historic conflict between the U.S. and the USSR, and now Russia, is caused by Russian bad behavior,” Pompeo told senators in April.

His comments at the time were backed up by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who said last month that the Trump administration wants closer ties but that warmer relations were not possible absent a change in Russia’s behavior.

“We want a positive relationship with the Russian government, but for this to happen, there must be a significant change in their behavior,” she said.