Mitt Romney Blasts Donald Trump For ‘Inexcusable Silence’ After Russian Cyberattack
Mitt Romney had some harsh words for Donald Trump after the White House failed to come out publicly against a reported Russian cyberattack.
The Utah senator issued a statement this week speaking out against the White House for its silence after reports that digital attacks — which have been ongoing for months — struck key government infrastructure. In a tweet, Romney wrote that the incident revealed alarming vulnerabilities and an apparent weakness to cyber warfare. He slammed the “inexcusable silence and inaction from the White House.”
As MSNBC noted, Romney went on to say that this was the modern equivalent of allowing Russian bombers to fly undetected across the entire country.
NPR reported that the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a warning on Thursday that the cyber intrusion posed a “grave risk” to federal, state, and local governments, as well as private companies. The organization said the digital attack started in March and is ongoing, with malware placed in computers still capturing important information. The attack reportedly targeted a number of top federal agencies, including the Commerce Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon, the U.S. Postal Service, and the National Institutes of Health.
Experts said hackers were able to add malware to legitimate software updates, giving them a “backdoor” that allowed them access to the targeted computer networks. Once inside, they used the access to go even deeper.
It is believed that Russia’s foreign intelligence service is behind the attack, which was reportedly difficult to detect, with potentially long-lasting damage being done. NPR noted that the Trump administration had not yet issued a public comment condemning Russia, which has denied involvement. Trump has yet to personally acknowledge the alleged cyberattack as well, the report added.
Trump has long come under fire from critics who said that he has failed to push back on intrusions from Russia, including the alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election. He also came under sharp scrutiny for close ties to President Vladimir Putin, including holding a series of meetings where Trump reportedly took great measures to keep the discussions secret. As The Inquisitr reported, Trump physically removed notes from an interpreter after one of these meetings.
As MSNBC noted, Joe Biden has spoken out against the alleged breach, saying that once he is sworn in as president, he will not stand by and allow these actions, hinting that he would place sanctions to fight back economically.
