As Robert Mueller fights Russian interference, Trump is MIA Special prosecutor is only 1 warrior trying to protect U.S. elections. America now needs a field marshal: Our view

The Editorial Board | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption U.S. indicts 13 Russian nationals with interfering in 2016 election Special counsel Robert Mueller’s office said on Friday that a federal grand jury has indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities accused of interfering with U.S. elections and political processes.

Special prosecutor Robert Mueller's success Friday winning indictments against 13 Russians and three government-linked organizations trying to influence the 2016 presidential election offers some solace that at least a corner of the U.S. government is fighting back against Kremlin aggression.

If only President Trump would finally acknowledge that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a coordinated attack on the American democratic process during that election, he might be able to lead efforts to fight back. Instead, the president seems more interested in scoring political points on Twitter than in confronting the Russian leader.

And the attack is not over. The Russians have every intention of launching a new wave of disinformation and cyber assaults to muck up midterm elections this fall, intelligence chiefs told Congress this week. Their sights are set on the 2020 presidential election as well.

Moscow uses Internet trolls and automated social media accounts known as bots to create inflammatory posts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google to sow political discord. Just this week, Russian-linked bots promoted pro-gun messages in the wake of a high school shooting in Florida specifically to inflame emotions.

OTHER VIEWS: Mueller accusations multiply

This is an ongoing war and Trump, whose mantra so often has been a dedication to protecting the American people, needs to protect them from this onslaught. "The United States is under attack," National Intelligence Director Dan Coats told the Senate on Tuesday.

For starters:

►Trump needs to firmly acknowledge the Kremlin threat and use his bully pulpit to assert that there will be a national response and commitment to deter. A barrage of presidential tweets on Sunday simply muddied the waters further, taking aim at domestic political opponents rather than overseas enemies.

►An interagency office with an anti-interference czar should be created to coordinate efforts across various intelligence offices. "There's no single agency, quote, 'in charge,' " Coats conceded this week. A Senate Foreign Relations Committee minority report suggests an interagency fusion cell staffed by representatives from the FBI, CIA and Departments of Homeland Security, State, Defense and Treasury.

►Homeland Security and the FBI must take up the sprawling task of coordinating with elections offices across the nation to bolster computer defensive measures to guard against the kind of Russian hacking that was at least attempted on voting systems of 21 states in 2016.

►There must be a cost for assaulting American democracy. With near unanimity, Congress enacted the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act last year. Trump grudgingly signed it because a veto would have easily been overridden. But he has slow-walked implementation, and no sanctions have been levied against entities doing major business with Russia's defense and intelligence agencies. This has to change and if it doesn't, Congress needs to respond.

►The new battleground in this fight is social media, where millions of Americans were exposed to Russian-linked activity during the presidential election. FBI Director Christopher Wray offered a tepid response this week about progress in coordinating defensive efforts with social media organizations. Giants such as Facebook, Twitter and Google should be required to identify sources of funding for political advertisements, much like the requirements for print and electronic media. Moreover, there should be a U.S. government doctrine for how to combat foreign interference through social media. Coats said no specific written policy is in place.

Mueller's indictments of the Russians and the organizations coordinating their efforts are a strong start at fulfilling his mandate to investigate foreign sabotage of our elections. But he is only one warrior. The country needs a field marshal in the White House.

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