SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – In a story published by Roll Call, Rep. Tom Emmer, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), refused to enter into an agreement with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) not to use hacked or stolen information in campaigns. The DCCC renewed their attempts to come to an agreement after President Trump admitted he’d be willing to accept campaign intelligence from foreign governments.
Following Trump’s comments, current DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos called on her NRCC counterpart, Tom Emmer, to agree not to use stolen information, accusing the committee and Trump of embracing hacked materials and making the country vulnerable to more frequent attacks.
NRCC spokesman Chris Pack said in a statement to CQ Roll Call on Thursday that Bustos “is not serious about an agreement on cyber-attacks because if she was, then she wouldn’t be sending out an endless barrage of juvenile press releases to the national press corps on the matter.”
Pack said the NRCC was “actively working with outside experts and law enforcement to make sure we do not fall victim to another attack.”
Approached by CQ Roll Call later Thursday, Emmer declined to say how he personally felt about using stolen information during a campaign and refused to comment on Trump’s assertions about acceptance of aid from foreign actors.
When asked about Bustos’ call to make that pledge and for his personal position on the issue, the Minnesota Republican repeatedly answered, “We have responded.” He said his response was “a matter of public record,” but Pack later clarified that Emmer was referring to the statement sent to CQ Roll Call earlier Thursday.
Informed multiple times that the NRCC statement did not make clear the committee’s position on using stolen information, Emmer said, “It’s in English, it’s pretty clear.”
Asked how he would advise a congressional candidate approached by a foreign actor with information about an opponent, he said, “Again, I’m not going to comment on what the president said.”
Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement in response:
“It’s clear that Republicans like Donald Trump and Tom Emmer are willing to jeopardize our national security to win political campaigns. By leaving the door open to using hacked materials in campaigns, Tom Emmer is welcoming interference in our elections by hostile foreign powers.
“Tom Emmer’s actions here are disgraceful and do a serious disservice to our country and our democracy. It is the American people and the American people alone who should decide the outcome of our elections.”