Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had strong words for his Republican colleague Tuesday as he called for the Senate to take on election security legislation.
The New York Democrat mentioned Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell several times during a press briefing, saying it's time for Republicans to step up to the plate and work with Democrats on securing the nation's elections system.
"Democrats will keep pushing McConnell and the Senate to secure elections in several different ways," Schumer said.
"First, we will continue to press Leader McConnell to hold debate, and we're gonna hold standalone votes, vote after vote, on the many bills that exist on election security. Second, I am calling on Leader McConnell to allow votes on amendments to the NDAA — the defense bill coming up this week — related to securing our elections from foreign interference. Third, I'm gonna push for more election security as part of the budget caps deal."
NBC News posted a clip of Schumer's remarks.
Schumer said he's baffled as to why the GOP-run Senate has not yet addressed election security bills that have been introduced.
"Just last week, Sen. McConnell was asked why the Senate hasn't voted on election security legislation. He responded by telling reporters that they needed to write about the absence of problems in the 2018 election," Schumer said.
"Sen. McConnell's comments come after learning in the Mueller report that election systems in Florida counties were hacked by Russia. Three years later, the public is still learning how Russia interfered with our democracies. It is irresponsible by the Republican leader to declare 'mission accomplished' about the 2018 elections."
Schumer added that he won't stand by and watch the bills sit idly in "Leader McConnell's legislative graveyard."
McConnell said last week, meanwhile, that the Senate will hold a briefing on election security.
Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election through computer hacks, social media campaigns, and other tactics that, according to the Mueller report, were performed by the Russian government.
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