Dem calls Russia meddling ‘act of war,’ urges cyber attack on Moscow banks

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) on Tuesday said that Russian hacking efforts against the U.S. amount to an act of war and the U.S. should have countered by launching cyber attacks against the Kremlin.

“No question about it,” Cohen told Hill.TV’s Buck Sexton and Krystal Ball on “Rising” when asked whether the Russian hacking and propaganda effort constituted an act of war.

“It was a foreign interference with our basic Democratic values. The underpinnings of Democratic society is elections, and free elections, and they invaded our country,” he continued. 

Cohen went on to say that the U.S. should have countered with a cyber attack on Russia. 

“A cyber attack that made Russian society valueless. They could have gone into Russian banks, Russian government. Our cyber abilities are such that we could have attacked them with a cyber attack that would have crippled Russia,” he said. 

Cohen’s comments come one day after President Trump refused to denounce Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election during a joint news conference with Putin. 

“He just said it’s not Russia,” Trump said, repeating Putin’s denials of involvement in the U.S. election. “I will say this, I don’t see any reason why it would be.”