Washington (CNN) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell dismissed concerns from President Barack Obama's former chief of staff that he didn't respond properly to suspected Russian interference in the 2016 election, saying, "I'm perfectly comfortable with the steps that were taken back then."

The Kentucky Republican was responding to Denis McDonough, who on Sunday defended the Obama administration's response to suspected Russian interference in the 2016 election -- and called McConnell's response a "dramatically watered down" joint statement on election security in September 2016.

"This is the same old thing they've been saying for weeks," McConnell said during his weekly news conference with reporters Tuesday. "I issued a statement on that a couple weeks ago and I'd be happy to send it to you again."

McDonough recently told NBC's "Meet the Press" that McConnell downgraded the language of the letter "asking the states to work with us" on election security, adding that members of Congress had a "stunning lack of urgency" over the matter.

"The lack of urgency that we saw from the Republican leadership in 2016 we continue to see to this day today. It's beyond time for Congress to work with the administration, to work with the states, to ensure that our electoral systems are ready to go," McDonough said. "This is not a game."

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