Thread by @ericgeller

The House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on cyber diplomacy is about to start: foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing/hearin…

Former top cyber diplomat @C_Painter will testify and discuss his concerns about the current State Department cyber policy structure: docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA…

The House recently passed a bill, sponsored by the chairman of this committee, that would essentially reverse Secretary Tillerson's changes to the cyber office and impose new reporting requirements on the department.

Chairman Royce is delivering his opening statement, which you already saw a preview of if you read @MorningCybersec: politico.com/newsletters/mo…

Ranking Member Engel, delivering his opening statement, tells Painter, "I’m sorry that you were one casualty of the administration’s attempt to hollow out the State Department."

Painter, delivering his opening statement, notes that his office at State was the first such office in the world — and that 25 countries followed the U.S.'s lead.

Painter: "The lack a sufficiently strong, timely and continuing response to Russian interference with our electoral process virtually guarantees that they will attempt to interfere again."

Painter: I was disappointed to see the State Department downgrade the status of my former office, even if it's only temporary. "It sends the wrong message to our adversaries."

“We need diplomacy in cyberspace now more than ever," says @sultanofcyber, a former top DoD cyber policy official.

Sulmeyer on Russian election interference: “We need to ensure that the United States has capabilities on the shelf to preempt and prevent this kind of behavior ahead of the midterms.”

Painter: “China’s become much more aggressive on the world stage.” They have been working the diplomatic circuit and building alliances in the developing world to “further their own view of cyberspace.”

All three witnesses expressed concern about Chinese laws requiring access to Western companies' data and source code.

Painter noted that individual companies are often unwilling to raise the issue with Beijing because of market access fears.

Engel asks Painter about the effects of Tillerson downgrading the status of his former cyber office.

Painter: "Seeming to step back from the world stage empowers our adversaries to try to exploit that.”

Engel mentions that Trump didn't impose required new sanctions on Russia.

Painter, speaking generally about deterrence: “If we don’t take any action, that itself sets a norm of inaction.”

Dana Rohrabacher, famously Russia-friendly congressman, says that the U.S. probably does a lot of the same disinformation that we criticize Russia for doing. And he says lots of other countries engage in cyber operations, not just Russia.

Rohrabacher is now asking the witnesses about the discredited "DNC hack inside job" theory.

Rohrabacher, having asked the witnesses if they think the DNC hack was an inside job, starts interrupting Painter as he provides context for the history of influence operations.

Royce shuts Rohrabacher down and moves on to the next lawmaker.

Lordy, this dais is empty.

Very few lawmakers present for this hearing.

Bass asks Painter why Tillerson downgraded the cyber office.

Painter: “Frankly, there was, maybe, lack of understanding of the importance of this issue.”

Hearing is in recess for votes.

The hearing has resumed.

BREAKING: Royce relays a letter from Secretary Tillerson: "The Department is creating a Bureau for Cyberspace and Digital Economy headed by an assistant secretary."

Royce says it's a good first step but not enough.

Garrett asks witnesses: Would foreign interference in elections be easier if sensitive material were kept on a private server?

He's trying to get them to give him ammo to criticize Hillary Clinton again.

They won't bite.

Garrett, like Rohrabacher, says the U.S. has interfered in other countries' elections just like Russia. Asks witnesses if they've heard about that. Again, they don't bite.

Garrett yields to Rohrabacher, who says the witnesses' refusal to answer the questions reflects on either their "integrity" or their "knowledge base."

Rohrabacher is attacking Royce for moving on from his initial round of questioning after he asked the witnesses about the DNC hack inside job conspiracy theory.

Rohrabacher, having been given time by Garrett, asks his question again: Do you agree that the DNC hack was likely an inside job?

Painter: "Sir, I do not accept that."

Rohrabacher is angry now. "We have witnesses today who can't say anything that would be damaging to the Democratic Party or to one side of this argument."

"Shame on you!" he yells at the witnesses.

Rep. Castro asks Painter if he likes that the new cyber bureau at State will be headed by someone who reports to an undersecretary for economic affairs.

Painter says no. Cyber is more than just an economic issue.

Painter: "I applaud the fact that they’ve taken action. I think it’s great they’re elevating it. That’s exactly what should be done." But he says the assistant secretary should report to the undersecretary for political affairs, not economic.

Several lawmakers, including Torres just now, have obliquely apologized for Rohrabacher's behavior during the hearing.

Sherman lists the cyber/Russia legislation that he says Trump has ignored. Then he says Russia would recognize this situation because its Duma is little more than an advisory body too.

Sherman asks Painter what the U.S. lost when Tillerson closed his office.

Painter: “We had a lot of momentum going” when Tillerson made his decision. “I don’t understand why we did that.”

McCaul: Is China abiding by the 2015 agreement?

Painter: “To some extent, the jury’s out.” Most researchers say IP theft “diminished substantially” after the deal.

McCaul: What role should the federal government play in protecting the midterms?

One of Sulmeyer's suggestions: Threats to the election should be at the top of the intelligence community’s list of collection priorities.

The hearing has concluded.

Big takeaways for me:

(1) Lawmakers don't understand the details of cyber diplomacy well enough to ask good questions.

(2) State Dept hasn't appeased its critics just by creating a new cyber bureau.

Here's Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's letter announcing the new cyber bureau, including its primary objectives and an org chart (a reporter's dream!): foreignaffairs.house.gov/wp-content/upl…