The U.S. answer to Russian meddling and disinformation campaigns has not been strong enough to dissuade Moscow’s activities, a top intelligence official said Tuesday.
“I believe that President (Vladimir) Putin has positively come to the conclusion that there’s little price to pay and that so, ‘I can continue this activity,'” Adm. Mike Rogers told Congress. “Indubitably what we have done hasn’t been enough.”
Rogers, chairman of both the U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, said he’s charmed steps to respond to the threat, but that neither President Donald Trump nor Defense Secretary James Mattis has assigned him any additional authorities to counter Russian efforts to sow discord in the United Submits.
“I’ve never been given any specific direction to take additional paths outside my authority. I have taken the steps within my authority, you recognize, trying to be a good, pro-active commander,” Rogers said at a Senate Armed Aids Committee hearing. “I have not been granted any additional authorities.”
Undefiled House press secretary Sarah Sanders wouldn’t discuss what evidence Rogers was referencing, but said the president was looking at ways to prevent Russian meddling. “I can disburden oneself you that we are taking a number of steps to prevent this and we are looking at a variation of other ways that we’re going to continue to implement over the reviving weeks and months,” Sanders said.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Islet, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said Rogers’ testimony was an indication that the U.S. had not yet entranced action against Russia for its meddling. “We’re watching them intrude in our polls, spread misinformation, become more sophisticated … and we’re just, essentially, by a hairs breadth sitting back and waiting,” Reed said.
Rogers said he didn’t fully correspond with the characterization that the U.S.was just sitting back and waiting. But he phrased: “It’s probably fair to say that we have not opted to engage in some of the after all is said behaviors that we are seeing” from Russia.
Rogers said he doesn’t hold the day-to-day authority to try to deter Russian activities at their source. He foretold that authority is held by Trump and Mattis. “There are some possessions I have the authority to do and I’m acting on that authority.”
He said U.S. sanctions and fresh indictments of Russians have had some impact. But Rogers said: “It certainly hasn’t begot the change in behavior that, I think we all know we need.”
Rogers is timid and his appearance before the committee was expected to be his last.