This afternoon DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos sent another letter to NRCC Chairman Tom Emmer asking that he join her in signing a pledge to not use hacked or stolen information in the 2020 election cycle. This letter is a follow-up, six months later, to Chairwoman Bustos signing this same pledge in April of 2019. Unfortunately, in the six months that have passed, Chairman Emmer has not yet responded to DCCC Chairwoman Bustos’ original request to commit that Republicans will join Democrats in our fight to protect America’s free and fair democratic elections.
Please see below the letter Chairwoman Bustos sent to Chairman Emmer today.
It can be viewed online here.
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October 25, 2019
Dear Chairman Tom Emmer,
Six months ago I wrote to you and invited you to join in signing a common sense pledge that will keep our country safe and our elections secure. My letter, six months ago, referenced Russia’s interference in our 2016 election and specific instances where the NRCC took advantage of hacks by a foreign adversary, using stolen information to attack Democratic candidates in multiple competitive Congressional races. The urgency I conveyed in April has not dissipated; unfortunately, the importance of this issue has only grown.
Now, with 12 months before our country’s next general election, it is clear that the President of the United States is actively soliciting interference from another foreign government in an attempt to undermine the rule of law and help himself politically. While you and I may not be able to agree on the best way to address flaws in our health care system, or strategies for putting Americans back to work, I believe the Committees we chair must work together and stand for the safety and security of our democracy over any partisan goals.
As a fellow public servant who swore an oath to protect and defend our Constitution, I ask you once again to join me in committing the DCCC and NRCC to the pledge outlined below. The DCCC has signed this pledge before, and we would be proud to join you in reaffirming our commitment to the sanctity of our election process.
- We will not participate, aid or encourage hackers or foreign actors in any attempt to influence American elections.
- We will never seek out stolen and/or hacked information for use in any operations.
- We will never use known stolen and/or hacked information, or promote or disseminate stolen and/or hacked materials to the press, regardless of the source and will report any receipt of, or offers to receive, stolen and/or hacked information to law enforcement.
- We will not support any campaign or allied groups that use known stolen and/or hacked information, or promotes or disseminates stolen and/or hacked materials to the press, regardless of the source and will encourage all campaigns to report any receipt of, or offers to receive, stolen and/or hacked information to law enforcement.
- Any foreign actors attempting to participate, operate, influence or contact the committee or any of our campaigns will be reported to appropriate law enforcement immediately.
- We call on the chief election officers in all states to ensure the most robust fortification and protection of elections systems leading up to, and during, the 2020 election. We hope you will agree to these principles for the sake of our democracy. If you have suggestions about how we could strengthen this pledge, I would welcome a dialogue with you.
Kindest Personal Regards,
DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos