Politics

(ATLANTA) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will travel to Cobb County, Georgia, on Thursday to visit a popular gun store as part of his ongoing book tour ahead of what is expected to be a presidential campaign announcement this summer.

The previously scheduled trip happens to come days after a shooter killed six people at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee, which Georgia Democrats noted in criticizing DeSantis, who is seen as a rising Republican star after easily winning reelection in November.

The governor is continuing a tour pegged to his new memoir and promoting what he calls Florida’s “blueprint” for the rest of the country, believing it can serve as a model for governing and politics nationwide.

The gun store in suburban Atlanta, Adventure Outdoors, has been a campaign stop for other Republicans, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Herschel Walker, who unsuccessfully sought to unseat Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock last year.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and three other local lawmakers went to Adventure Outdoors earlier this week to criticize what the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reportedly called a routine, random inspection. Greene claimed it was “unusual and unnecessary.”

Democrats in Georgia have called out DeSantis for holding an event at the gun store in the wake of the Nashville shooting and have said he should cancel the event.

“Holding a campaign event at a gun store days after another horrific school shooting where innocent children were murdered should be beyond the pale, but Ron DeSantis seems to not care,” Rep. Nikema Williams, the Democrats’ state chair, said in a statement on Tuesday. “DeSantis is showing Georgians exactly where his priorities lie as he advocates for an extreme MAGA agenda that could make it easier for criminals to carry guns in Florida and puts the gun lobby ahead of our children’s lives. DeSantis should cancel this event immediately.”

A spokesperson for DeSantis did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his visit.

He has called the Nashville shooting “senseless” and directed flags flown at half-staff in Florida in light of President Joe Biden’s declaration ordering the same.

DeSantis’ stop in Georgia adds to the list of his appearances in battleground and early nominating states ahead of his widely expected announcement that he’ll run for president in 2024.

In April, he’s scheduled to go to Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

After his trip to Georgia, DeSantis was initially set to travel to Franklin, Tennessee, on Monday, where he would meet with Gov. Bill Lee. However, that event has now been postponed, according to Eventbrite, where it was being advertised.

In Florida, lawmakers are taking up new gun-related legislation: Republicans are working to pass a law allowing people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit with exceptions such as on school property.

The final vote on the bill is set to happen as early as Thursday and will almost certainly pass, given Republicans have a supermajority in the state Legislature. The proposal would then head to DeSantis’ desk.

It would make Florida the 26th state in the country with a permitless carry law.

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(WASHINGTON) — A bipartisan group of lawmakers re-introduced legislation Wednesday that would create a no-fly list for passengers fined or convicted for assaulting crew members on board an aircraft.

The Protection from Abusive Passengers Act would direct the Transportation Security Administration to “create and manage a program” that bars such unruly passengers from flying again.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., along with Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., said the legislation they introduced is in the interest of everybody on board a flight.

“We must do more to protect employees and the traveling public, and the Protection from Abusive Protections Act does that,” Reed said at a press conference. “Passengers, once they are on board, must follow the rules and not commit acts of violence, or they won’t be permitted on commercial aircraft again.”

The TSA would have the authority to determine how long an unruly passenger is banned from flying based on the severity of their offense, according to Reed’s office.

The legislation marks the latest move by Congress to secure America’s skies amid thousands of reports of unruly passengers each year. In 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration received nearly 2,500 reports of unruly passengers and investigated 831.

While those numbers are down from a pandemic high in early 2021 when the federal mask mandate was in effect, some flight attendants, such as American Airlines flight attendant Pedro ​​Enriquez, say they still face unruly travelers. During a flight from Miami to London in January, a passenger physically assaulted ​​Enriquez amid a disagreement about the flyer’s assigned seat, the flight attendant said at the Wednesday press conference.

“He approached me threateningly, spitting on me while I backed away through the business class cabin until I was trapped in the galley,” ​​Enriquez said of the passenger, adding that after the flight attendant attempted to deescalate, the passenger “spat again in my face and sucker-punched me in the eye.”

The passenger was arrested upon landing, according to Enriquez, who held up a photo to show his injuries.

“It is disappointing to me that a passenger who was arrested for physically assaulting and spitting in a flight attendant’s face can continue to fly on commercial airplanes here in the United States,” Enriquez said.

Cher Taylor, an Orlando-based flight attendant with Frontier Airlines, said a July 2021 incident still haunts her. One white passenger used his fists and racially insensitive language during a dispute about a carry-on bag with a Black passenger, she said.

“Law enforcement didn’t come in time,” Taylor said. “The perpetrator walked off the plane, and nothing happened.”

“I’ve had months of therapy and struggled initially to go back to work,” a visibly distraught Taylor added.

While the legislation has some bipartisan in both chambers of Congress, such reform may face difficulty getting passed. Other legislation concerning unruly passengers was introduced during the last Congress but failed after it was referred to a subcommittee in the House for further consideration.

But lawmakers Wednesday were hopeful this attempt in the 118th Congress could succeed.

“I don’t say this very often, [but] I’m quite optimistic about this getting across the finish line,” Fitzpatrick said. “This is something I anticipate will get broad bipartisan support.”

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(WASHINGTON) — A Democratic lawmaker who was screaming about Republicans’ approach to gun violence just off the House floor on Wednesday soon got into a tense altercation with one of his conservative colleagues.

An animated Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., a former principal, came off the floor and began telling reporters to continue to press GOP members on their views on the issue of guns and shootings.

“Please ask them. Don’t let them off the hook,” Bowman said.

“Ask them about gun violence. What are they doing about it? Nothing!” he continued to yell as colleagues exited the floor.

“They don’t have the courage,” he insisted. “They’re cowards.”

Republicans have avoided or dismissed questions about new restrictions on assault weapons like those used in the Nashville, Tennessee, school shooting this week.

They have instead advocated for ramping up school security and more and more have cited addressing “mental health” as the better solution, given longstanding reluctance to restrict gun ownership, saying it’s unconstitutional.

“The first thing in any kind of tragedy is I pray. I pray for the victims. I pray for the families. I get really angry when people try to politicize it for their own personal agenda, especially when we don’t even know the facts,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Tuesday.

Bowman, on Wednesday, forcefully rebuked that.

“They have control of the House! The American people need to know that they don’t have the courage to do anything to save the lives of children,” he said.

Though most members just walked past Bowman as he was screaming for about five minutes — aside from the occasional applause from Democratic members — Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, decided to engage.

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“I’m talking about gun violence,” Bowman responded.

“You know there’s never been a school shooting in a school that allows teachers to carry,” Massie tried to argue.

“Carry guns! You think– More guns lead to more death!” Bowman retorted.

Massie told Bowman multiple times to calm down, prompting Bowman to exclaim: “Calm down? Children are dying! Nine-year-old children!” and “I was screaming before you came and interrupted me.”

After Bowman left the Capitol, still yelling, Massie told reporters: “Next week, I’m reintroducing a repeal of the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act. It’s the deadliest bill that’s ever been passed.”

Then he left as well.

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(WASHINGTON) — During a Wednesday hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on aid to Ukraine, lawmakers spent hours questioning the top watchdogs overseeing the three government agencies most directly involved in distributing billions of dollars in American support to the war-torn country, repeatedly arriving at the same answer:

So far, there is no evidence that support has been misused.

Although conservatives have criticized the Biden administration for what they called a lack of oversight over the funds — with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pledging before the midterms that there should no longer be a “blank check” — most Republicans on the panel sought to balance support for Ukraine with a commitment to surveillance.

“To be clear, I do not conduct this oversight to undermine or question the importance of support for Ukraine, but rather — to the contrary — oversight should incentivize the administration and Ukraine to use funds from Congress with the highest degree of efficiency and effectiveness,” said Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas.

But New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the committee’s top Democrat, reminded the chamber of comments from lawmakers he called “MAGA Republicans” who assert that Kyiv has been given too much leeway, saying their comments play right into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hands.

Others — like Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif. — went further, questioning if even holding the hearing would provide fodder for Russian disinformation campaigns.

“I think we should talk about more important issues, like how do we make sure other countries don’t give additional assistance to Russia? How do we make sure Ukraine has the long-range weapons they need to win this war?” Lieu said.

During their testimonies, the acting inspectors general covering the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development as well as the inspector general overseeing the Department of Defense each explained how they sought to create a full account of how aid to Ukraine was used and install necessary controls against corruption.

But the witnesses also acknowledged the unique challenge posed by the conflict.

“We’re doing oversight at the speed of war,” said Robert Storch, who monitors the Department of Defense.

Some of the hearing’s most contentious moments were tied to issues that hit closer to home, with Republicans like Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania pushing the witnesses on why the Biden administration was indirectly footing the bill for some Ukrainians’ pensions rather than shoring up domestic entitlements or securing the U.S. border with Mexico.

“Can you give us assurance that none of that money that’s being sent to arguably one of the most, if not the most, corrupt country on the planet is being misused, misspent, lost?” Perry pressed. “What assurance can you give the American people?”

“What I’ve testified to, congressman, is that based on our completed work, we have not substantiated any instances of diversion of U.S. security,” Storch answered.

Still, the witnesses acknowledged that their work wasn’t finished and that those findings could change as time marches on.

Republicans made multiple references to Afghanistan, with at least one lawmaker in the party suggesting that an office be created specifically to monitor aid to Ukraine, just as Congress did for the reconstruction of Afghanistan in 2008.

While the witnesses didn’t weigh in on that prospect, they said their own oversight efforts could be boosted with additional financing from Congress.

“Our folks are, frankly, burning the candle at both ends to meet the extensive mandate that we have and it’s because they are deeply, personally committed to the mission that they do that,” said the deputy inspector general for the State Department, Diana Shaw, who also advocated for her office to have a larger footprint operating out of the American embassy in Ukraine.

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(WASHINGTON) — Republican members of the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday pressed Washington, D.C., officials about public safety and the city’s management in the wake of Congress taking the unusual step of blocking controversial changes to the local criminal code.

For almost four hours, legislators debated D.C.’s laws at a hearing nominally focused on policing in the district. Having stopped the so-called crime bill last month, House Republicans are now seeking to repeal a law enforcement reform bill in D.C.

But most of the session focused on crime in D.C. — such as the recent attack on a staffer for Sen. Rand Paul — and on the crime bill, rather than on police reform.

Some lawmakers were blunt in their questioning.

“Why is D.C. allowing violent criminals to remain on the streets for so long?” asked Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.

She cited the Saturday stabbing of Paul’s staffer “by a man who was released from prison just the previous day,” she said. (The victim is in stable condition and a suspect has been arrested, according to Paul’s office and police.)

“On average, any given homicide suspect in D.C. has already been arrested 11 times before he or she actually commits homicide,” Foxx said, echoing a pattern raised by Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee earlier this month. Others on the committee said their staffers had been “jumped” as well.

City councilmembers acknowledged the pervasive “concern” about safety but pointed to data that showed the reality was the most serious crimes have been dropping.

“While perception is important, the reality is less concerning. Let me be clear: People should feel safe, and it is a problem that many residents of the district don’t,” Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said.

“The number of violent crime incidents in 2022 was 45% lower than a decade earlier and total violent crime last year was 7% less than the year before,” he said. “I know this belies the common belief and, when it comes to crime, how people feel is important. But there is not a crime crisis in Washington, D.C.”

Still, Councilmember Charles Allen said there is still “a lot of work to do.”

“Many residents feel unsafe, and the district is experiencing persistent, troubling increases in two areas of violent crime in particular: homicides and carjackings. These trends are being seen nationwide, and the district is not immune,” Allen said.

The chairman of D.C. Police Union, Greggory Pemberton, pointed to several provisions passed by the city council that, he said, limit how severely criminals are punished.

“The criminal penalties that exist within our criminal justice system are incredibly weak,” he said, in part.

He also said that that councilmembers’ efforts to cut or redirect funding for D.C police have resulted in “a mass exodus” of officers available for duty. Mayor Muriel Bowser has said she is pushing for the city to have 4,000 sworn police.

The Oversight Committee also pointedly questioned councilmembers about the revised criminal code, which would have lowered some punishments and raised others, among other changes.

Bowser attempted to veto the changes to the code in January but was overridden by the council.

With support from the Democratic Senate and President Joe Biden’s sign-off, a Republican-led effort in the House successfully blocked the crime bill earlier this month. It was the first time in decades that Congress, which maintains ultimate authority over D.C., used its power to stop a district law.

D.C. leaders like Bowser said the episode showed the importance of the district gaining autonomy and statehood.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Oversight Chairman James Comer asked Mendelson about Mendelson attempting to withdraw the criminal code before Congress could vote on stopping it.

“I’m seriously concerned that your actions may have been an attempt to provide cover for congressional Democrats,” Comer said.

Mendelson denied pulling the bill for that reason: “It was not a change of heart, sir, but you know when you see yourself losing — because it was clear that the Senate, the votes weren’t there — then you pull it back, and you work on it some more.”

The lengthy hearing also included exchanges on guns and gun violence, including this week’s school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee; the ongoing prosecution of Jan. 6 suspects; and public urination.

Afterward, the committee voted 21-17 to support the repeal of the D.C. police reform bill, which was passed after the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

That legislation formalized several changes implemented after Floyd’s death, including classifying neck restraints as “lethal and excessive force,” limiting the use of chemical irritant to disperse crowds and requiring police to publicly release footage from use-of-force incidents.

The police repeal bill is expected to go for a full vote in the House.

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(WASHINGTON) — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is expected to return to Congress the week of April 17, after the upcoming two-week recess, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The Democratic lawmaker, who suffered a stroke during his campaign, checked himself into an impatient facility in the middle of February while suffering from depression.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Senate on Wednesday voted to repeal two congressional authorizations from decades ago allowing the use of military force against Iraq, a country then falsely accused of stockpiling chemical and nuclear weapons and now a U.S. security partner in the Gulf region.

The measure passed the Democrat-led Senate in a bipartisan 66-30 vote and now heads to the Republican-controlled House.

The 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force took effect under former Presidents George H. W. Bush and his son, George W. Bush, respectively. Both AUMFs authorized force against Iraq.

A third, broader AUMF approved by Congress 2001 was not incorporated into the latest repeal effort because supporters say it is still needed to combat al-Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS and related terror operations.

Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a longtime advocate of repeal, said in a statement the Senate action would help Congress reassert its power to declare war as spelled out in the Constitution.

“Passing this bill is an important step to prevent any president from abusing these AUMFs, reaffirm our partnership with the Iraqi government, and pay tribute to the service members who served in Iraq and their families,” Kaine said.

Kaine said he urged the House, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy, to swiftly pass the legislation and send it to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature. Kaine’s Republican co-sponsor, Indiana Sen. Todd Young, called for quick action by the House as well.

“A broad and diverse coalition in the House supports this legislation, and I am hopeful the bill will receive prompt consideration,” Young said in a statement.

Previous attempts to retract or amend the authorizations failed in recent years, including a 2021 bill to repeal the 2002 AUMF approved by the then-Democratic-controlled House but which stalled when it reached the Senate.

In the current debate, some senators expressed concerns the new repeal attempt could be seen as a sign of U.S. weakness by international foes such as Iran. But the legislation has found a broad support in the House across party lines and McCarthy has indicated support for the measure.

The legislation “has a good chance of getting through committee and getting to the floor,” the California Republican recently said at a GOP retreat in Orlando.

Biden came out in support of repeal earlier in March, noting that no ongoing military activities rely on the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs.

“President Biden remains committed to working with the Congress to ensure that outdated authorizations for the use of military force are replaced with a narrow and specific framework more appropriate to protecting Americans from modern terrorist threats,” the White House said in a statement just before the Senate held a test vote March 16.

IAVA, a large Iraq war veterans’ group, welcomed the resolution, too, saying Congress should not allow a president to have “unchecked” authority over troop deployments.

“Congress has shirked its responsibility to our troops and their families for too long by leaving open-ended authorizations of military force in place. It’s past time to change that,” IAVA CEO Allison Jaslow said in. statement about the Senate vote.

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(WASHINGTON) — Former Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday he’s weighing how to proceed after a federal judge ruled one day earlier he must testify to a grand jury investigating efforts by former President Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 election.

Pence, who is considering running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said he’s unsure whether he’ll appeal the order for him to reveal more details about his conversations with Trump while vowing he has “nothing to hide” about Jan. 6.

“I’m limited in what I can say about grand jury proceedings, but I am pleased that the judge recognized that the Constitution speech and protection clause applies to my work as vice president,” Pence said in Iowa. “I’m serving as president of the Senate on January 6. We’re currently talking to our counsel about the balance of that decision and determining the way forward, but I have nothing to hide.”

“Again, I’m pleased that federal judge recognizes that constitutional protection applies to me as vice president, but now we’ll evaluate the best way forward and make our intentions known in the days,” he added.

Pence told reporters he will discuss whether to appeal the ruling when he meets with his attorneys in Washington, D.C., later this week.

“Again, I have nothing to hide. I believe we did our duty under the Constitution on Jan. 6. And I truly do believe that preserving the constitutional protections enshrined in the speech and debate clause was very important,” he repeated. “I’m pleased that the federal judge recognized and agreed with our argument that that provision does apply to us reviewing how he sorted that out, but at the end of the day, we’ll obey the law. Right now, we’re evaluating what the proper course is moving forward.”

On Tuesday, D.C. Chief Judge James Boasberg rejected Trump’s claim of executive privilege to prevent Pence from testifying, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The judge also issued a ruling that narrowly upheld parts of a separate legal challenge brought by Pence’s attorneys, who have argued the former vice president should be exempt from providing records or answering certain questions that align with his duties as president of the Senate overseeing the formal certification of the election on Jan. 6, 2021.

The judge ordered Pence to provide answers to special counsel Jack Smith on any questions that implicate any illegal acts on Trump’s part, according to sources.

Pence’s team had argued that such communications could run afoul of the speech and debate clause that shields members of Congress from legal proceedings specifically related to their work.

The rulings came just four days after his and Pence’s lawyers appeared at the district court to argue their challenge to Smith’s subpoena.

Pence has previously vowed to fight the subpoena all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary, most recently telling ABC Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, “We’re going to respect the decisions of the court, and that may take us to the highest court in the land.”

ABC News’ Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — A staffer for Sen. Rand Paul was stabbed and seriously injured in Washington, D.C., on Saturday and a suspect has since been arrested, police and Paul’s office said Monday.

On Wednesday, victim Phillip Todd’s parents said in a statement that he was in “stable condition” after surgery and “is expected to make a full recovery due to his young age and good health.”

“He was randomly and brutally attacked by a person armed with a knife, who, according to the police report, attempted to kill him. The intervention of our son’s friend helped prevent the wounds from being fatal,” Chuck and Helen Todd said.

Phillip Todd is the chief economist for Paul on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, on which Paul sits as the ranking member.

Phillip Todd’s Leadership Connect profile lists him as having been with Paul’s office since 2021.

“This past weekend a member of my staff was brutally attacked in broad daylight,” Paul, R-Ky,. said in a statement to ABC News on Monday, adding, “I ask you to join [wife] Kelley and me in praying for a speedy and complete recovery, and thanking the first responders, hospital staff, and police for their diligent actions.”

According to a police report obtained by ABC News, officers first responded Saturday around 5:15 p.m. to a call about a stabbing on the 1300 block of H Street Northeast in the district.

Phillip Todd was treated on the scene for “stab wounds” and was seen by a witness “bleeding from the head,” the report states.

According to one of two witnesses cited in the report, the suspect had “popped out of the corner” and stabbed Phillip Todd multiple times as he and the witness were walking. He “was able to grab [the suspect’s] arms” and the witness with him tackled the suspect, “leading to a struggle between the parties,” the report states. Then, he and the witness ran as the suspect fled.

The first witness shouted to another about what was happening and that person called the authorities while they aided Phillip Todd, according to the report.

On Monday, D.C. police said that 42-year-old Glynn Neal, a D.C. resident, was arrested later on Saturday and had been charged with assault with intent to kill, wielding a knife, in connection with the attack. Court filings state that he has told officers he heard a voice was going to get him before the attack occurred.

Phillip Todd was hospitalized “for treatment of life-threatening injuries,” police said on Monday. His parents said in their statement Wednesday that he had “trauma surgery to address the wounds in his body. He also has a fracture on his skull, which will be treated with non-invasive neurosurgery.”

Chuck and Helen Todd said they were grateful for Paul and his chief of staff for visiting their son and praised the work of police and first responders while asking for privacy going forward.

“Most of all, we are impressed with the love and support of Phillip’s many friends, the Antioch Church, Washington D.C., his current and former colleagues, and even those Phillip doesn’t know personally,” they said.

“Our hope is that Washington D.C. continues to be the safe and beautiful city our son loves so much,” they said.

In his own statement, Paul said Monday: “We are relieved to hear the suspect has been arrested. At this time we would ask for privacy so everyone can focus on healing and recovery.”

Neal, the suspect, will appear in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing.

A public defender representing him did not respond to a request for comment.

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(WASHINGTON) — A group of alleged cybercriminals has been using several techniques to target U.S. companies and government agencies on behalf of the North Korean government, according to experts.

Cyber intelligence analysts at Google have identified what is known as an “advance persistent threat” (APT), or a group of bad actors who have been connected to potentially criminal activity online.

Designated as “APT43” in a new report from Google Cloud’s cyber intelligence arm Mandiant, the group is believed to be supporting — and possibility affiliated with — North Korea’s primary foreign intelligence service through espionage targeted at foreign government agencies, private companies and educational institutions around the world.

“Although the overall targeting reach is broad, the ultimate aim of campaigns is most likely centered around enabling North Korea’s weapons program, including: collecting information about international negotiations, sanctions policy, and other country’s foreign relations and domestic politics as these may affect North Korea’s nuclear ambitions,” the report found.

Analysts have observed a flurry of activity from APT43 going back to 2018 with efforts focused on spear-phishing campaigns that aim to harvest private user information. This approach involves “social engineering” in which the bad actor engages and attempts to develop a rapport with real people in an attempt to solicit valuable information.

In one case, APT43 was observed attempting to establish a relationship with a potential victim by impersonating a journalist with an email titled “Request for comments” and questions about geopolitical responses to North Korean military expansion.

To support these efforts, the report found the group engages in stealing and laundering cryptocurrency. Once the currency is stolen — typically by harvesting private online user information — the group was observed laundering the assets through websites that generate new forms of crypto for a fee. That process effectively removes the open source connection to the original payment, experts said.

“Put another way, imagine you stole millions of dollars in gold, and while everyone is looking for stolen gold, you pay silver miners with stolen gold to excavate silver for you,” Mandiant Principal Analyst Michael Barnhart said. “Similarly, APT43 deposits stolen cryptocurrency into various cloud mining services to mine for a different cryptocurrency. For a small fee, DPRK walks away with untracked, clean currency to do as they wish.”

Mandiant’s newly released report is in line with strategies established by the Biden administration’s top cybersecurity officials to encourage information sharing about cyber threats.

One app that could pose a cyberthreat, according a very senior official, is TikTok. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jennifer Easterly told lawmakers Tuesday she supports banning the Chinese-owned social media giant, which has seized on short-form video-sharing on a massive scale, calling anything of its kind a “huge, huge risk.”

“I think we need to be really, really mindful of not just TikTok — That’s an important and prominent issue … [but] it’s all sorts of Chinese technology that’s in our critical infrastructure supply chain. We need to be very concerned about that. And then frankly, from a strategic level, we need to be very concerned,” she said.

Despite the prevalence of the threat, Easterly expressed doubt about whether a full ban would be possible in the United States. Virtual private networks and other cyber tools can be used to change and scramble geolocation data on the open internet, making a U.S. ban difficult, experts say.

CISA, one of the leading agencies working to establish cybersecurity reporting norms and standards, will work to help victims of cybercrime and strengthen vulnerable institutions, Easterly vowed.

“We are not here to name to shame to stab the wounded,” she said. “We are here to render assistance and then to use that data very importantly, to protect the rest of the ecosystem. If you’re in a neighborhood and your neighbor gets robbed, I want to know that so you can actually lock your doors and put your guard dog out. It’s important for our collective defense. We are facing some very, very serious threats to our nation to our critical infrastructure.”

The director said CISA is working to improve its own “visibility into the overall ecosystem” of cyberattacks while acknowledging the agency’s limitations. Easterly referenced her time in the private sector where the “return on investment was things not happening.”

“So you know at a broad level, bad things not happening is hard to — hard to measure,” Easterly said. “So what we want to do is get more granular with the visibility what we’ve gotten out of that [budget] to say this is how we’ve reduced the incidence of bad things happening.”

However, cybersecurity authorities — and Easterly herself — have raised alarms about the daily onslaught of cyberattacks from outside the U.S. As part of efforts to counter these threats, CISA puts out cybersecurity road maps to help government and industry reduce risks, including by providing security consultants that offer direct assistance to state and local government bodies.

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., pressed Easterly on whether CISA would have had any involvement with suppressing stories about the laptop belonging to President Joe Biden’s son Hunter. The director swiftly dismissed the assertion, noting she wasn’t in the job at the time and outlining the disinformation work the agency should do to support local governments.

“What I want to talk about is what our actual mission what we’re doing for state and local election officials who have asked for our help in dealing with foreign influence and disinformation operations,” Easterly said. “And that is to support them in amplifying their trusted voices and providing them what they need to be able to ensure that the American people have confidence in the integrity of their elections. And this is not a partisan issue, sir.”

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