Sen. Ben Sasse has asked the Department of Justice to clarify whether political candidates can legally campaign for office using stolen material sourced by hackers.…
Sen. Ben Sasse has asked the Department of Justice to clarify whether political candidates can legally campaign for office using stolen material sourced by hackers.
Mr. Sasse, Nebraska Republican, raised the issue Wednesday with Attorney General William Barr during a hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Committee about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the 2016 race, which determined that Russian hackers breached Democratic targets to steal documents subsequently touted by Republican candidates including President Trump.
“I think it would be helpful for us to have a shared understanding as we head toward the 2020 election of what campaign operatives should well understand is beyond the pale,” said Mr. Sasse. “So if the Chinese government decides to start hacking into 2020 campaigns, I would hope there’s clarity from the Department of Justice about whether or not Democratic presidential campaigns and whether or not the Trump re-election campaign are allowed to say, ‘Hey, we’re interested in this hacked material’.”
“I think we need to have clarity about a question like that,” Mr.
