Reps. Takano and Foster lead Members in Sending Letter to House CAO Requesting Security Assessment of Capitol Technology Infrastructure Following the Jan. 6 Insurrection
Riverside, CA – Today, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) and Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL) led a group of Members in sending a letter to the Chief Administrative Officer and the Acting Chief Information Officer of the House raising concerns about the potential threat the January 6th insurrectionists presented to House technology infrastructure.
In the letter, the Member say, “On January 6, 2021, insurrectionists successfully infiltrated the Capitol complex and compromised the security and integrity of information technology systems across the United States Congress. U.S. Government property was defaced or stolen. While the perimeter was breached, U.S. Capitol Police had no control over who entered the complex and with what intentions. Thus, we have no real assurances that foreign assets were not among these insurrectionists with the intent on carrying out a ‘black bag operation’ in the United States Capitol.”
They continue, “We understand the Chief Administrative Officer is taking this event with the utmost seriousness. However, we must assume the House network and the hardware used to access these systems may have been compromised by malware being installed on House computers. We must also assume that surveillance devices of any kind could have been planted throughout critical areas of the Capitol complex. These all put our national security at risk.”
And they close, “We must ensure that no House equipment was compromised during the insurrection and that our House network remains secure from any foreign interference or surveillance.”
The full text of the letter is here and below:
February 12, 2021
Catherine Szpindor Alan Thompson
Chief Administrative Officer of the House Acting Chief Information Officer of the
of Representatives House of Representatives
632 Ford House Office Building 632 Ford House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Chief Administrative Officer Szpindor and Acting Chief Information Office Thompson,
On January 6, 2021, insurrectionists successfully infiltrated the Capitol complex and compromised the security and integrity of information technology systems across the United States Congress. U.S. Government property was defaced or stolen. While the perimeter was breached, U.S. Capitol Police had no control over who entered the complex and with what intentions. Thus, we have no real assurances that foreign assets were not among these insurrectionists with the intent on carrying out a “black bag operation” in the United States Capitol.
We understand the Chief Administrative Officer is taking this event with the utmost seriousness. However, we must assume the House network and the hardware used to access these systems may have been compromised by malware being installed on House computers. We must also assume that surveillance devices of any kind could have been planted throughout critical areas of the Capitol complex. These all put our national security at risk.
Given these alarming concerns, we ask for the following:
1. Is CAO, alone or in partnership with any Federal government agency, planning a sweep of the U.S. Capitol Complex for electronic surveillance devices?
2. What steps is CAO taking to recover any hardware that was removed from the Capitol complex during the insurrection?
3. Has any evidence been found to suggest that Congressional IT systems had been compromised after the January 6, 2021 insurrection?
4. What steps will CAO be taking to secure our technological infrastructure going forward?
5. Will CAO commit to holding a member-level briefing outlining steps being taken to ensure the House network is secure following any infiltrations?
We must ensure that no House equipment was compromised during the insurrection and that our House network remains secure from any foreign interference or surveillance. We also understand the sensitive nature of this request, and we accept if we must be briefed in a SCIF to understand the scope of our response. Thank you for your urgent attention to this matter and we look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
MARK TAKANO
Member of Congress
BILL FOSTER
Member of Congress
TED W. LIEU
Member of Congress
BOBBY L. RUSH
Member of Congress
JERRY MCNERNY
Member of Congress
SHEILA JACKSON LEE
Member of Congress
JAMES P. MCGOVERN
Member of Congress
MICHEAL SAN NICHOLAS
Member of Congress
DINA TITUS
Member of Congress
ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
Member of Congress
KATHY CASTOR
Member of Congress
BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN
Member of Congress
DON S. BEYER, JR.
Member of Congress
BARBARA LEE
Member of Congress
SALUD CARBAJAL
Member of Congress
GRACE MENG
Member of Congress
ANDRÉ CARSON
Member of Congress
ALAN LOWENTHAL
Member of Congress
JESÚS G. “CHUY” GARCÍA
Member of Congress
LIZZIE FLETCHER
Member of Congress
JAHANA HAYES
Member of Congress
SUZAN K. DELBENE
Member of Congress
Press Contact
Dayanara Ramirez (202) 225-2305