Russian hacking: Republican, democratic senators call for joint action

Four powerful U.S. senators have called for Republicans and Democrats to join forces and fight Russian interference in the U.S. political process, saying the "stakes are too high" for the issue to become partisan.

"For years, foreign adversaries have directed cyberattacks at America's physical, economic, and military infrastructure, while stealing our intellectual property," Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said in the statement released Sunday.

"Now our democratic institutions have been targeted. Recent reports of Russian interference in our election should alarm every American," they added.

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The CIA has concluded that Russia mounted a covert intelligence operation to influence the U.S. election in an effort to help Donald Trump win, a congressional official knowledgeable on the matter told NBC News on Saturday.

But the president-elect has repeatedly said he does not accept the findings of the spy agencies he will soon lead. The spy agency says Russia was behind hacks of Democratic email accounts and other efforts that appeared to harm Hillary Clinton's candidacy.

The four senators warned that "Congress's national security committees have worked diligently to address the complex challenge of cybersecurity, but recent events show that more must be done."

"Democrats and Republicans must work together," they said, adding: "This cannot become a partisan issue. The stakes are too high for our country."

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