Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar
Wichman will oversee the Foreign Malign Influence Response Center (the Center), which was established by a provision based on legislation led by Klobuchar
The Center will allow officials from across the intelligence community to collaborate and ensure that agencies and departments are working together to assess influence operations with a whole-of-government approach
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee with oversight of federal elections and campaign finance law, released the statement below following the appointment of Jeffrey Wichman to oversee work to combat election threats at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
In 2019, a provision based on legislation introduced by Klobuchar and Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) to create a Foreign Malign Influence Response Center (the Center) at ODNI was enacted as part of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Reauthorization Act. The Center will enable officials from across the intelligence community to collaborate and ensure that agencies and departments work together to assess influence operations with a whole-of-government approach.
“With more than three decades of experience in top counterintelligence and cyber roles at the CIA, Jeffrey Wichman has a strong understanding of the threats facing our democracy and the urgent need to safeguard our elections from foreign influence campaigns,” said Klobuchar. “His appointment is a step in the right direction as we work to ensure the Foreign Malign Influence Response Center is operational ahead of the 2022 elections. As sophisticated tactics used by foreign adversaries to undermine our democracy continue to evolve, I’ll keep fighting to put needed resources in place to protect our elections from foreign disinformation campaigns.”
In February of 2020, Klobuchar and Reed sent a letter to ODNI requesting information regarding the establishment of the Center. The letter was also signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Congressman Joe Kennedy (D-MA).
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