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Ciboski: Mueller Investigation Is Likely To Continue

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election is likely to continue for some time.

My hope is that the investigation wakes the American people up to the realization that the most important development that happened with our 2016 election and Russia’s involvement constitutes the greatest threat to our national security. Russia is not going away, and the question is what we and the Western democracies are going to do to preserve our electoral systems and our respective democracies.

In late 2016, our top intelligence agencies determined that the Russian government conducted a massive cyberattack intended to deny Hillary Clinton the presidency. The Russian campaign used hacking, the leaking of stolen emails obtained by hacking the Democratic National Committee offices, propaganda, Russian outlets, and social media to disseminate disinformation. Also, links between President Trump’s associates and Russian officials and intermediaries were cultivated by the Putin regime.

We should also be aware that domestic groups could join up with a country like Russia. Cyber criminals have become more sophisticated and dangerous. The digital age has expanded their ability to help our adversaries. Illinois and Arizona were hacked in the 2016 election. Perhaps as many as 21 states have had their elections compromised. We need to work to make sure that no outside agency is interfering with our electoral processes.

Dr. Ken Ciboski is an associate professor emeritus of political science at Wichita State University.