Dem lawmaker: U.S. cyberattack would have ‘crippled’ Russia

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) said Tuesday that the U.S. should have launched a crippling cyber attack against Russia in response to its interference in the 2016 election.

“What would be a sufficient response in your mind to, as you said, ‘this Russian act of war,” Hill.TV co-host Buck Sexton asked Cohen on “Rising.”

“A cyber attack that made Russian society valueless — our cyber abilities are such that we could have crippled Russia,” Cohen said.

“If they all fell underneath the Kremlin and buried together, it’d be too soon,” Cohen added.

This response comes after President Trump on Monday refused to denounce Russia interference in the 2016 election.

In a joint press conference with Putin, Trump sided with Moscow over U.S. intelligence agencies, saying he doesn’t “see any reason why” Russia would be responsible.

The comments sparked criticism from several members from his own party.

Last week, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats warned that “the warning lights are blinking red again” on cyberattacks, and the situation is now at a “critical point.”

— Tess Bonn