“The indictment from the Special Counsel’s office includes allegations that Russian military officials were involved in an attempt to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election through cybersecurity hacking. U.S. intelligence officials continue to confirm that no vote tallies were changed as a result. Nevertheless, these are serious charges that strike at the core of our democracy, and the individuals who were indicted need to face the allegations being levied against them. President Trump missed an opportunity to publicly press President Putin on whether he would agree to extradite the defendants to the United States to answer the allegations in court. It should always be the goal of U.S. presidents to improve relations with other countries, especially ones as large and strategically important as Russia. It’s also important for our leaders to be clear-eyed in their approach. Vladimir Putin isn’t a friend to the United States, to the Western world or our values.” – Sen. Chuck Grassley
