Senate Democrats warned that Russia has been interfering with European democracies and hammered the Trump administration for failing to take steps to prevent foreign meddling in U.S. politics.
No Republicans signed on to the 200-page report issued Wednesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Democratic minority, who singled out President Donald Trump for criticism, reported the Associated Press.
The report details how the Kremlin attempted to influence politics in 19 European nations, which Senate Democrats say foreshadowed Russian meddling in the 2016 election won by Trump -- who has dismissed intelligence and law enforcement findings on the topic as "fake news."
“Never before has a U.S. president so clearly ignored such a grave and growing threat to U.S. national security,” the report warns.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) said he hoped the report would show Americans the “true scope and scale” of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to undermine western democracies.
“While President Trump stands practically idle, Mr. Putin continues to refine his asymmetric arsenal and look for future opportunities to disrupt governance and erode support for the democratic and international institutions that the United States and Europe have built over the last 70 years,” Cardin said.