US lawmakers set up task force to prevent foreign interference in presidential poll

A bipartisan group of seven influential first-time American Congressmen on Monday announced to set up a task force to prevent interference of foreign elements in the US presidential elections, scheduled for November 2020.

The Task Force Sentry will focus on gathering information from experts, working together across the partisan divide to advance effective policy, and helping to protect the public from disinformation.

In a joint statement, the lawmakers said they will introduce legislations to plug holes in the existing laws that "allow for foreign interference and financial influence in the US political process".

"We believe that protecting our country from foreign adversaries should never be partisan," said the lawmakers -- Elissa Slotkin, Anthony Gonzalez, Abigail Spanberger, Lauren Underwood, Mikie Sherill, Chrissy Houlahan and Xochitl Torres Small.

"It is our duty to respond to threats when we see them and that is what we have been doing for the last eight weeks, to develop new legislation and concrete recommendations on how to prevent any foreign adversary from attempting to influence the US political system again," they said in reference to the Mueller report, which detailed Russia's effort to wage information warfare on the US political system.

According to lawmaker Houlahan, the Mueller report was explicit in its investigation and revelation of a foreign adversary intervening in the US' democratic processes and electoral systems.

The task force members said they have identified five major vulnerabilities and working to finalise legislation to address them.

The task force is working on to make it more difficult for foreign entities to influence Americans, mandating individuals or firms receiving foreign funds to disclose the source of funding and preventing foreign financing from supporting campaigns.

It is also working on to define the role of social media companies to prevent foreign entities from using their platforms to interfere in US polls.

The task force also plans to establish ongoing monitoring, analysis, and enforcement mechanisms to identify threats and tools to prevent foreign interference through information operations.

"During a time marked by massive disinformation campaigns and hostile attacks against election systems across the globe, including potentially from adversarial actors like Iran, North Korea, and China, it is critical that Americans have accurate and up-to-date information about the threats we face," said Congressman Spanberger.

"A threat to our elections is a threat to our country," he added.