Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) are firing back at Democratsâ remarks amid concerns about the possibility of election interference being an issue for the upcoming general election.
The Republican lawmakers released a joint statement on Sunday in support of Bill Evanina â who serves as the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC).
Democratic leaders insisted Evanina âdoes not go nearly far enough in arming the American people with the knowledge they need about how foreign powers are seeking to influence our political process,â according to their statement released on Friday.
However, McConnell and Rubio argue otherwise.
âWe are disappointed by the statement from Senator Schumer, Senator Warner, Speaker Pelosi, and Representative Schiff about Bill Evanina,â Rubio and McConnell said in of Democratsâ remarks.
They added, âEvanina is a career law enforcement and intelligence professional with extensive experience in counterintelligence. His reputation as a straight-shooter immune from politics is well-deserved.â
The Republican lawmakers went on to further condemn the statement by the Democratic Congress members, which they described as a âmanufactured complaint,â that raises questions about Evaninaâs character.
âWe believe the statement baselessly impugns his character and politicizes intelligence matters,â the statement read. âTheir manufactured complaint undercuts Director Evaninaâs nonpartisan public outreach to increase Americansâ awareness of foreign influence campaigns right at the beginning of his efforts.â

The joint statement comes just days after Democratsâ sounded off with their concerns on Friday. In their statement, Democratic leaders noted the timing of previous Russian election interference âin favor of President Donald Trumpâ which began âalmost exactly four years ago.â
âAlmost exactly four years ago, we first observed the Russians engaging in covert actions designed to influence the presidential race in favor of Donald Trump and to sow discord in the United States. Now, the Russians are once again trying to influence the election and divide Americans, and these efforts must be deterred, disrupted and exposed.â
Shortly after their statement was released, Rubio sounded off about election concerns on Twitter. The Florida senator noted the possibility of âthreats to the electionâ as he accused Democratic leaders of âcontinued politicization of intelligence.â
He tweeted, âThe reason Democrat leaders know about threats to our election is because the Trump Admin has informed them.
âTheir continued politicization of intelligence matters hurts our nations ability to collect intelligence helps foreign adversaries sow distrust in our institutions,â Rubio added.
Despite ongoing complaints about alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and the possibility of interference in the upcoming election, Trump and Republican leaders have denied the allegations, deeming Democratsâ concerns a âhoax.â
The president has defended his stance on a number of occasions, insisting the previous investigation was nothing more than a âwitch hunt.â
