Thread by @PennBiden

LIVE NOW: #PBC's @mikercarpenter, @cepa's @PeterBDoran, @SecureDemocracy's @rosenbergerlm, and Heather Conley testify on Russian malign influence before @USRepKeating, @RepKinzinger, & the @HouseForeign Affairs Committee. bit.ly/2EaMwMM

“Russia is doubling down on malign influence operations across Europe & North America, but we remain unprepared, underfunded and often ignorant of the threat… it’s not just Russia, but also China and other state & non-state actors.” @mikercarpenter @HouseForeign

“...we urgently need to focus more resources on rooting out Russia’s malign networks, addressing our own massive vulnerabilities—especially to foreign dark money—& imposing greater costs on Russia [when caught interfering in our democratic process].” @mikercarpenter @HouseForeign

“Russia’s subversive attacks on our democracy can be grouped into three main categories: cyber operations, information warfare, and corrupt influence operations.” @mikercarpenter @HouseForeign

“[I’ll now] focus on influence operations or what in Russian intelligence jargon are called ‘active measures.’ Active measures are occurring with increasing frequency… In Lithuania… In France… In the Netherlands… In the UK…” @mikercarpenter @HouseForeign

“In the Central African Republic, Libya, Sudan, Madagascar, Syria & Venezuela, Russian private contractors provide services ranging from personal security to election support in return for access and money.” @mikercarpenter @HouseForeign

“All of these operations are funded through a financial ecosystem that makes use of laundered money.” @mikercarpenter @HouseForeign

“So the question is: how do we stop Russia’s malign influence? I would group our responses into three buckets of measures: law enforcement, legislative, and cost imposition.” @mikercarpenter @HouseForeign

“First, we need to root out illicit Russian networks.” @mikercarpenter @HouseForeign

“Second, we urgently need to address our own vulnerabilities by closing crucial gaps in governance.” @mikercarpenter @HouseForeign

“Finally, the third bucket of measures involves imposing greater costs on Russia for its interference in our democratic process.” @mikercarpenter @HouseForeign

Responding to @RepKinzinger, #PBC’s @mikercarpenter says, "An anti-money laundering institution is one of the most effective steps the European Union could take to regulate behavior. We need to push back more on Hungry than we have so far... they are increasingly authoritarian."

Regarding @RepSires's question about coordination between #China & #Russia, "We don’t have evidence of overt coordination, but [we have seen] malign influence. Clearly their interests align... in terms of undermining democracies." @mikercarpenter @HouseForeign

"I certainly agree with Dr. @mikercarpenter that the Chinese often piggyback on Russia’s tactics." @SecureDemocracy's @rosenbergerlm @HouseForeign

"There’s a pattern of evidence that shows Russia… is supporting right wing groups across Europe… They look to the far-right as one of the most destructive elements in politics." @mikercarpenter @HouseForeign

.@repdinatitus questions U.S.-#Russia relations down the road. #PBC's @mikercarpenter responds, "There is this myth that [the U.S. has] a potentially cooperative relationship with Russia… the scope for cooperation is minimum to nil… other then a potential arms control treaty."

.@repdinatitus inquires, "Aren’t U.S. sanctions and, therefore, your suggestions undermined by the President of the United States... & his antipathy towards multilateral arraignments?" @HouseForeign

#PBC's @mikercarpenter replies, "The narrative that Russia is pushing is that you can’t trust the media, & that the media are biased. So when the President calls the media the enemy of the people, he is playing into Putin’s narrative." @HouseForeign

On dark money, “In 2015, the @USTreasury estimated some $300 billion dollars is laundered into the U.S. system from various sources… the bottom line is we don’t know the extent of it, but we have to empower the Europeans to go after the issue.” @mikercarpenter @RepCicilline