Florida Senator Bill Nelson said alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. election crosses the line "getting closer and closer to an act of war."
- Nelson called Russian hacking efforts "unprecedented" and "an outrage"
- At least 50 presidential electors calling for intelligence briefing prior to casting ballots Monday
- Nelson also expressed concern about President-elect Trump's Secretary of State nominee
Speaking to reporters at his Tampa office, Senator Nelson called the Russia hack on Democratic National Committee’s email system “unprecedented” and “an outrage.”
“By attacking, by hacking information to influence an election in a democracy that the integrity of the election is absolutely paramount to that democracy being able to function, I think there is going to be serious ramifications of this,” said Senator Nelson.
There are now at least 50 of the Democratic presidential electors now calling for a national intelligence briefing before casting their ballots on Monday.
Electors in all 50 states meet Monday to elect the next president.
Senator Nelson, a former member of the Intelligence Committee, said that briefing is not going to happen. But he understands the concerns of electors over the hacking.
"I think everybody has a right to be concerned," said Nelson, "because our democracy has been assaulted by a foreign country who happens to be a rival of ours that would love to do us in."
Nelson also spoke about the upcoming confirmation hearing for Rex Tillerson, the President-elect’s pick for Secretary of State, saying he wanted to know more about the Exxon/Mobil CEO's business ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.