December 12, 2016 12:00 PM UTC

FLASHBACK: When Cory Gardner Cared About Russia

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• by: Colorado Pols

MONDAY UPDATE: A statement today from Sen. Cory Gardner calls for a new Senate committee on cybersecurity, but still can’t face the hard facts:

“Cybersecurity policy is one of the most significant and complex challenges facing Congress, yet the Senate’s current structure to address cyber attacks remains inefficient. According to the Congressional Research Service, at least 19 standing committees between the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have held hearings related to cybersecurity. That’s why I’m renewing my call for the creation of a permanent Select Committee on Cybersecurity, which would be narrowly focused on providing oversight of our strategy to protect sensitive data, defend our networks, and to deter malicious cyber actors,” said Gardner. “Recent reports from our intelligence community concluded that Russia attempted to influence the U.S. presidential election, [Pols emphasis] serving as yet another reminder of the host of emerging threats in cyberspace. These allegations must be thoroughly investigated, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to address the sanctioning of Russia and specifically, bad actors identified following an investigation.”

The problem, Sen. Gardner, is that Russia did more than “attempt” to influence the election.

They succeeded.

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UPDATE: A tweet from Sen. Cory Gardner last April drips with irony today:

If you cannot navigate the @cologop convention what is your plan for Putin? #copolitics

— Cory Gardner (@CoryGardner) April 12, 2016

“What is your plan for Putin?” asked Gardner. It would seem that Donald Trump has answered him.

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With the American public rocked by news this weekend that the Russian government intervened in the 2016 elections with the specific purpose of helping Republican nominee Donald Trump win, we couldn’t help but recall a bellicose statement from Colorado’s own Sen. Cory Gardner in October–accusing the Obama administration of not taking “the cyber threat seriously,” and vowing to introduce legislation to impose sanctions on Russia for its cyber-warfare activities:

Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity, today announced his intention to introduce legislation that sanctions Russia’s cyber criminals following the Obama Administration’s public accusation that Russia authorized cyber-attacks on U.S. political organizations. The legislation will mandate the Obama Administration investigate persons who have engaged in significant activities undermining cybersecurity and aggressively pursue sanctions when appropriate, similar to the cyber provision within Gardner’s North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act.

“Today’s news is further evidence of what happens when the Obama Administration fails to take the cyber threat seriously. That is why I plan to introduce legislation that builds upon my North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act by mandating the Administration sanction Russia’s bad actors who are responsible for malicious cyber activities,” said Gardner. “Russia’s interference with American democracy is a direct threat to our political process, and it may only be the tip of the iceberg. It is imperative that Russia’s behavior is met with strength in the form of aggressive sanctions to show the world that its cybercrimes will not be tolerated.” [Pols emphasis]

Got that, readers? “Russia’s interference with American democracy is a direct threat to our political process, and it may only be the tip of the iceberg.” That’s what Cory Gardner said about Russia in October, laying blame for the whole business at the feet of the Obama administration. The day after issuing this statement, Gardner called on Trump to pull out of the race after a recording of Trump making boastful comments about sexually assaulting women in 2005 surfaced.

The obvious question today is, what does Gardner have to say now? Trump is publicly bashing the intelligence agencies that concluded Russians waged cyber-warfare to help him win the 2016 presidential election. Obviously, Sen. Gardner’s press release is a major point of information now, even more so than when Gardner was calling for Trump to pull out of the presidential race in October.

Because now, Gardner is sucking up to President-elect Trump at every opportunity.

Gardner might want to make this statement go away now, but he can’t. If he holds true to the principles he asserted in this October release, he must stand up to Trump right now and demand a full accounting–regardless of where it leads. Which could be bad for Gardner’s career.

But if he reverts to “Con Man Cory” mode, the disaster could be even greater in the long term–and not just for Gardner.