DoJ, FBI to Host Live Midterm Election Day Watch – White House

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI will organize a live Election Day Watch at the FBI’s Strategic Information and Operations Center to observe election-related activities, the White House announced in a statement on Wednesday.

"DOJ and FBI will host a live Election Day Watch at the FBI’s Strategic Information and Operations Center to monitor and coordinate election-related activities," the statement said.

Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump has issued an Executive Order to deter alleged foreign interference in the midterm congressional elections to be held in November 2018. Trump’s new order authorizes sanctions against foreign governments, entities and persons, who have meddled in the US election process.

US Senator Richard Burr said in a press release on Wednesday that Trump’s new Executive Order was a a welcome response.

"The Executive Order signed today by President Trump strengthens our ability to quickly and appropriately hold responsible anyone who interferes in our elections," Burr, chairman of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in the release.

In May, the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released the first installment of its ongoing Russia investigation, which included recommendations for strengthening election security, the release noted.

Trump held National Security Council meetings in May and July to discuss election security. In August, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hosted a National Election Cybersecurity Table Top Exercise to help integrate election security efforts, according to the White House.

Russia has repeatedly denied allegations of interfering in the 2016 US election, saying the allegations have been invented to excuse the election loss of a presidential candidate as well as deflect public opinion from actual instances of electoral fraud, corruption and other pressing issues.

READ MORE: Russiagate Cover for Real Scandal