In response to reports that Trump continues to deny that Russia meddled in the 2016 election and has failed to take any meaningful action to prevent them from attacking again despite his intelligence chiefs testifying yesterday that they are planning to, DNC deputy communications director Adrienne Watson released the following statement:

“Our nation’s top intelligence officials have made clear that Russia is planning to attack our country again this year. Despite this clear and unequivocal warning, Trump continues to believe Putin over his own intelligence community and has left us vulnerable to future Kremlin-sponsored attacks. This is not a hoax. It is not fake news. It is a serious national security issue, and Trump won’t even acknowledge it exists. It’s long past time for him and Republicans to put country first and take the necessary steps to defend our democracy.”