WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A bipartisan group of seven lawmakers, who were elected to the US Congress for the first time, formed a task force with the mission of introducing legislation that closes loopholes in federal laws that allow foreign interference and financial influence in the U.S. political process.
Their first priority is the 2020 presidential elections.
The group of lawmakers, self-titled 'Task Force Sentry', said in a statement they have been working together behind closed doors for the past eight weeks to protect the U.S. political system from attack by foreign adversaries.
Reps. Elissa Slotkin, Anthony Gonzalez, Abigail Spanberger, Lauren Underwood, Mikie Sherill, Chrissy Houlahan and Xochitl Torres Small are the members of the task force.
Task Force Sentry members said they assembled with a shared mission of addressing the issues that were not receiving due attention after the release of the Mueller report that investigated Russia's alleged efforts to interfere in 2016 presidential election, and to wage information warfare on the U.S. political system.
The members have identified five major vulnerabilities and working to finalize legislation to address them by making it more difficult for foreign entities to influence Americans.
The envisaged law will make it mandatory for individuals or entities receiving foreign funds to disclose their source. Foreign financing will be blocked from supporting political campaigns.
The legislation will define the roles and responsibilities of social media companies to prevent foreign government entities from using their platforms to interfere in U.S. political processes;
'Even well before the Mueller report was released, we have known that a foreign adversary attempted to attack our political system and has continued to try to do so again,' said Rep. Slotkin, who was a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official.
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