TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — After a briefing from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that Russian hackers gained access to voter databases in two Florida counties ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
The news comes in the wake of the Mueller report, which states that “at least one” Florida county’s elections system had been attacked by Russian actors in 2016.
On Tuesday, DeSantis described the attack as “spear-phishing,” saying that while Russians did target two counties, there was no manipulation.
TRENDING NOW:
- WATCH: Shoppers rescue toddler from hot car in dramatic cellphone video
- CBD oil sales are booming, but are you getting what you pay for?
- 2 arrested in Palm Bay after children found covered in filth, attempting to eat grass due to hunger
- Video: Woman dies from rabies after bites from stray puppy during vacation
DeSantis said Tuesday the hackers didn't manipulate any data and the election results weren't compromised.
"There was voter data that was able to be gotten, but that data was public anyways," said DeSantis. "Nevertheless, those were intrusions. But they did not affect any voting or anything like that."
DeSantis, who requested the briefing following the release of the Mueller report, was critical of the information flow from the federal government to the state of Florida.
“If there’s things that we should have known, we are going to appeal to the federal government,” said DeSantis. “The information flow is important, and if there are things that we need to address, we need to know about them."
The governor said he signed an agreement with the FBI not to disclose the names of the counties targeted by the Russian hackers, but elections officials in those counties are aware of the intrusions.
Almost $3 million of the state’s more than $91 billion budget is slated for cybersecurity improvements to elections offices ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
.@GovRonDeSantis says two Florida counties were hacked in 2016 by Russia, but nothing was manipulated.
— Christopher Heath (@CHeathWFTV) May 14, 2019
About 2020 says there could still be threats to Florida's elections.
"The information flow is important, and if there are things that we need to address, we need to know about them" says @GovRonDeSantis following briefing from feds on Russia's hacking of two Florida counties in 2016
— Christopher Heath (@CHeathWFTV) May 14, 2019
DOWNLOAD: Free WFTV News & Weather Apps
Not near a TV? Click here to watch WFTV newscasts live
Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/QRQ3GHUXNVGUBIQXDGZ7CNBFSY.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/B2P7OS33RZCSBKPPXZWRGXXDFU.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/43ZYOPEFMJHLFI3OQ3B5OXWDZM.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/YXO3ZWDYABARRB5MJETLITWAGM.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/CDCX2OOMTZFVDHZVZTXS4IS62E.jpg)