Maryland Investigates Russian National's Links To State Elections Software

Top Maryland lawmakers announced Friday they were informed by the FBI about links between a Russian oligarch and the software company that services parts of the state's voter registration systems.

Officials said there is no evidence of a breach in the system, but wanted to keep the public informed. State officials said the connections were alarming enough to ask the state's attorney general to review the contract Maryland has with the company.

"We don't have any idea whether they meddled in the elections at all," Maryland House Speaker Michael Busch said during a Friday press conference. "We just know that there's Russian investment into the vendor system that we use to operate our elections."

The revelation came just hours after the Department of Justice announced indictments against a dozen Russian nationals for a range of charges in connection with hacking during the 2016 presidential campaign.

In a joint statement released earlier Friday, Busch and Maryland's Senate President Mike Miller said they became aware of links between Russia and the voter systems a day earlier.

"We were briefed late yesterday [Thursday], along with Gov. Hogan, [that the vendor] was purchased by a Russian investor in 2015, without the knowledge of state officials," the statement said.

Nikki Charlson, the deputy administrator for Maryland's State Board of Elections, said in a statement that her office will work to confirm that no fraudulent actions have taken place.



https://www.npr.org/2018/07/13/628998843/maryland-investigates-russian-nationals-links-to-state-elections-software?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter