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Scott Demands FBI Turn Over Evidence Of Russian Hacking

rick scott
J Pat Carter
/
AP

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) is demanding the FBI turn over information about Russian hacking.

Information revealed Thursday in Special Counsel Robert Muller’s report suggests the FBI believes the GRU – Russia’s intelligence agency – successfully hacked at least one Florida county government.

Now, Scott wants the FBI to provide evidence of this claim. He’s giving the Bureau seven days to tell Congress and the Florida Department of State which county was compromised.

In 2018, then-Senator Bill Nelson said Russians had penetrated Florida’s election systems. But he faced criticism, including from Scott, for never backing up that claim.

The Department of State maintains their systems were not hacked and Muller’s team did not independently verify the FBI’s belief. 

Shawn Mulcahy is a reporter and All Things Considered host for WFSU. He graduated from Florida State University in 2019 with majors in public relations and political science. He was previously an intern at WFSU, and worked as an Account Coordinator at RB Oppenheim Associates.