Top Senate Intel Committee Dem says Russia's attack went way beyond what's in the 'Intercept' report

Impact

On Monday, investigative news site the Intercept published top-secret documents from the National Security Agency revealing that Russia's reported cyberattack of the 2016 election went far beyond what was previously reported, possibly targeting more than 100 local election officials and at least one voting software company.

Now Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, says that the Russian intervention was even worse than what was revealed in those documents.

"The extent of the attacks is much broader than has been reported so far," Warner told USA Today on Tuesday. Despite that claim, the senator was careful to note that he doesn't believe the Russians actually interfered with voting outcomes, while suggesting that the attacks may be ongoing. "None of these actions from the Russians stopped on Election Day."

The Intercept's report details an elaborate Russian ploy in which hackers first stole login information from a U.S. voter software company and then used the information obtained to send a phishing email to election officials across the country.

Shortly after the report was published, the Justice Department arrested 25-year-old NSA contractor Reality Leigh Winner for allegedly leaking top-secret information to an online media outlet.

Warner told USA Today that he supported punishing whoever the leaked the information to the Intercept "to the fullest extent of the law."

On Thursday, the Senate Intelligence Committee will hear testimony from former FBI Director James Comey about the investigation into Russian interference and alleged efforts by President Donald Trump to interfere with that investigation.