Open Letter: Democratic Party Condemns Use of Stolen Information, Calls on GOP to do the Same

Dear Chairwoman McDaniel,

This weekend, Rudy Giuliani said there is “nothing wrong with taking information from Russians” and suggested that it is perfectly acceptable for campaigns to seek stolen information from foreign adversaries for political gain. This is an affront to our democracy that must be condemned by anyone who cares about our country’s future.

As the leaders of our country’s two largest political parties, we have a responsibility to protect the integrity of our democratic process. That’s why I urge you to join me in condemning the weaponization of stolen private data in our electoral process.

What happened in the 2016 election is undeniable. As the Mueller report just confirmed, a foreign adversary hacked and disseminated stolen information with the intention of disrupting our free and fair elections. Not only does the report plainly detail Russia’s assault on our democracy, it also describes a Trump campaign that gleefully sought to benefit from that attack.

As you know, President Trump himself openly called for Russia to steal and spread his opponent’s data.

These are not the actions of a candidate or a party that respects the rule of law or the integrity of our democracy.

We are now rapidly approaching Election Day 2020. In this age of cyber-warfare, we owe it to the American people to make sure that the election is decided by the will of the voters, not foreign governments.

My predecessor made this same request to the RNC as Russia’s attack on our election unfolded in 2016. Your predecessor chose to ignore it. The chair of our sister committee, the DCCC, made the same promise; their Republican counterpart at the NRCC also ignored it.

This time can be different. This is not about red and blue. This is about red, white, and blue. It’s about our national security. It’s about the future of our country and the integrity of our democracy. It’s about restoring people’s faith in our institutions and our election process.

Although you and I profoundly disagree on how our candidates should campaign and elected leaders should govern, we should at the very least work together to assure the American people that the process will be fair, and send a message to our adversaries that we will not tolerate the theft and dissemination of private data in our electoral process.

Under my leadership, the Democratic National Committee will not encourage the theft of private data, nor will we seek out or weaponize stolen private data for political gain. And I’m calling on you to put country above party and publicly pledge that the Republican National Committee will do the same.

The 2016 attacks weren’t the first attempt to undermine our democracy and they won’t be the last. Let’s make sure the loudest voice on Election Day is the voice of the American people.

Sincerely,

Tom Perez

Chair, Democratic National Committee