Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said that Russian hackers gained access to voter databases in two Florida counties before the 2016 election.
The Russians got into Florida voter databases
The AP reported:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — After an FBI briefing, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says Russian hackers gained access to voter databases in two Florida counties ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) May 14, 2019
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The admission that the Russians had compromised voter databases in two Florida counties is another blow to Trump’s claim that he is a legitimate president. There are many reasons why the Russians would want access to voter data. The Russians could get voters Democratic voters disqualified by changing their voter information so that it doesn’t match their identification.
The second is that access to voter data would give the Russians a road map for targeting their misinformation campaign to specific voters. A misinformation campaign will be less effective the more broadly targeted it is. With the voter data, the Russians knew precisely who to target in their effort to make sure that Trump won the state of Florida.
The Russians did more than Republicans will admit
The Russians were deeper into the American system and did more damage than Republicans and the Trump administration are willing to admit. The threat of the Russians stealing the 2020 election for Trump is real, and Donald Trump is doing nothing to stop them from helping him win a second term in 2020.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association