Sun- Sentinel by Anthony Man
June 7, 2019
The FBI has rejected a request from U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch to release more information about the attempts to infiltrate Florida’s election systems in 2016, including the names of the two counties that were successfully accessed.
Deutch, a Democrat who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, said Friday he first made the request during a classified May 16 briefing the FBI held with members of the Florida congressional delegation about the intrusion.
He repeated the request in a May 23 letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray.
“We are grateful to have received that important information, but I believe much more of this information can and should be shared with Florida voters and the American people.
“While we have been informed that the networks of only two Florida counties were successfully infiltrated, the information regarding these hacks has a much larger significance for election security across the country,” Deutch wrote.
“That is why I asked that you reconsider your decision to share with the public only some of the important information we discussed” at the classified briefing, he added.
Deutch is a member of the Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over the FBI.
In a June 4 response letter to Deutch, released Friday by the congressman’s office, the FBI’s acting section chief of the Office of Congressional Affairs, essentially ignored what Deutch requested.
“The FBI’s Cyber Division (CyD) along with our Office of General Counsel (OGC) provided a comprehensive briefing to Members of the Florida Delegation on May 16, 2019. We hope the information conveyed was helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Congressional Affairs if you need any additional information,” the FBI’s Charles A. Thorley wrote.
