- A FIRST LOOK TONIGHT AT WHAT
STATE OFFICIALS ARE SAYING ABOUT
REPORTS WISCONSIN VOTING SYSTEMS
WERE HACKED BY THE RUSSIANS.
THIS WEEK, NBC NEWS AIRED A
REPORT THAT SAID WISCONSIN WAS
ONE OF SEVEN STATES WHERE STATE
WEBSITES OR VOTER REGISTRATION
SYSTEMS WERE COMPROMISED AHEAD
OF THE ELECTION, BUT THAT
FEDERAL ELECTIONS OFFICIAL SAYS
S NEVER TOLD WISCONSIN.
WHAT GIVES?
BECAUSE WISCONSIN ELECTION
OFFICIALS HAVE REPEATEDLY SAID
THIS DID NOT HAPPEN.
MEANWHILE, THIS MORNING THE
STATE ELECTIONS COMMISSION
FORWARDED THE NAME OF A NEW
ADMINISTRATOR TO THE SENATE FOR
CONFIRMATION, MEGAN WOLFE.
LOTS TO GO OVER.
SO FOR THE SECOND WEEK IN A ROW
WE TURN TO REID MAGNEY, PUBLIC
INFORMATION OFFICER FOR THE
WISCONSIN PUBLIC ELECTIONS
COMMISSION.
AS TO THAT QUESTION, WHAT GIVES?
- SO TO THE BEST OF OUR
KNOWLEDGE, WE THINK THAT NBC WAS
REPORTING OLD INFORMATION.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE LEARNED
IS THAT THE AREA OF
CYBERSECURITY IS -- AND THE
INTELLIGENCE THAT GOES BEHIND IT
TAKES A LONG TIME TO DEVELOP
INFORMATION.
AND IT SEEMS LIKE THEY WERE
USING INFORMATION THAT SOMEBODY
THOUGHT WAS CURRENT BUT IN
JANUARY OF 2017.
LATER IN JUNE OF 2017, HOMELAND
SECURITY SAID THERE WERE 21
STATES THAT THE RUSSIANS T
ARGETED AND THAT ONLY ONE OF
THOSE, I BELIEVE ILLINOIS, WAS
ACTUALLY -- THEY GOT
IN.
WE FOUND OUT THAT WISCONSIN WAS
ONE OF THE 21 STATES THAT HAD
BEEN TARGETED, MEANING THEY
SCANNED OUR SYSTEM.
IT'S LIKE A BURGLAR CASING THE
JOINT.
DIDN'T GET IN, BUT IT'S STILL
SUSPICIOUS.
WHAT WE THINK IS THAT BETWEEN
THE TIME THAT A THERE WAS SOME
INITIAL INTELLIGENCE BACK IN
JANUARY, 2017 AND THEN LATER,
HOMELAND SECURITY DETERMINED
NOBODY GOT IN.
YOU KNOW, SO -- AND I KNOW IT'S
CONFUSING BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN
SAYING ALL ALONG NOBODY GOT IN
AND THEN THIS NEW REPORT COMES
ALONG.
- RIGHT.
- AND SO --
- I MEAN, COULD IT BE TRUE THAT
WISCONSIN KIND OF DOESN'T KNOW
WHAT IT DOESN'T KNOW?
THAT IT'S TRUE THAT FEDERAL
INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS NEVER
TOLD YOU?
- WELL, THE NEVER TOLD US PART
IS -- IF THEY THOUGHT THEY KNEW
SOMETHING BACK IN JANUARY OF
2017, THEY DIDN'T TELL US AND
MAYBE THE REASON THEY DIDN'T
TELL US WAS BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T
SURE.
AS THE INTELLIGENCE PROCESS GOES
ON AND THEY LEARN MORE ABOUT IT,
I THINK MAYBE THEY REALIZED WE'D
ONLY BEEN SCANNED.
WE REALLY DON'T KNOW.
BUT WE'VE DOUBLE AND TRIPLE
CHECKED WITH PEOPLE AT HOMELAND
SECURITY AND THEY SAY NOTHING
HAPPENED.
- BECAUSE THAT WAS MY NEXT
QUESTION.
HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO UNRAVEL
WHO THE NBC SOURCES WERE OR HEAR
FROM ADDITIONAL OFFICIALS WHO
COULD REFUTE OR SUSTAIN THAT
INFORMATION?
- WE DON'T KNOW WHO NBC IS
TALKING TO.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY'RE TALKING
TO PEOPLE WHO SAW THIS
CLASSIFIED REPORT BACK IN
JANUARY OF 2017.
DOES THAT MEAN IT WAS PEOPLE
THAT WERE IN THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION AND HAVE BEEN OUT
OF THINGS SINCE THEN AND DON'T
KNOW WHAT'S CURRENT?
WE DON'T KNOW.
BUT WE DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECKED
WITH HOMELAND SECURITY.
THERE'S NOTHING NEW.
- REGARDLESS, ALL OF THIS COULD
SERVE TO KIND OF UNNERVE THE
VOTING PUBLIC, OBVIOUSLY, AND
MAKE THEM QUESTION THE SAFETY
AND SECURITY OF OUR VOTING
APPARATUS.
SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO
THAT?
- SO WE ARE ON TOP OF SECURITY
PLANNING.
WE ARE -- WE HAVE PARTNERS BOTH
WITH WISCONSIN'S DEPARTMENT OF
ADMINISTRATION, DIVISION OF
ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY THAT
PROVIDES THE FIRE WALLS, SORT OF
THE WALLED CITY WHERE OUR S
ERVERS LIVE AND PROTECT US.
WE HAVE NEVER HAD A BREACH.
WE HAVE EXCELLENT SECURITY
AROUND THE PERIMETER.
WE'VE COMPLETELY ENCRYPTED
THE
DATABASE.
SO EVEN IF SOMEBODY GOT IN TO
STEAL SOMETHING, IT WOULD BE
USELESS TO THEM.
WE ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WIH
CLERKS, HOMELAND SECURITY, THE
NATIONAL GUARD ON MAKING SURE
THAT WE HAVE ALL THE SYSTEMS AND
ALL THE SECURITY NECESSARY IN
PLACE.
- MEANWHILE, THE DEMOCRATIC
LEGISLATIVE LEADERS ARE CALLING
FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO ALL OF
THIS.
WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO THAT?
- WELL, IF THEY'RE BASING IT ON
THE NBC REPORT, THAT'S OLD
INFORMATION AND THAT'S WHAT IT
SEEMED LIKE THEY WERE BASING IT
OFF, THE NBC REPORT.
IF THEY WOULD TALK TO US AND
FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON, WE'RE
HAPPY TO DO IT.
WE'VE BEEN "INVESTIGATING" THIS,
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THESE
REPORTS ARE AND WHAT'S GOING ON
FOR MONTHS NOW.
- THE COMMISSION TODAY TOOK
ACTION TO ADDRESS SOME PEOPLE
WHO HAD BEEN ERRONEOUSLY REMOVED
FROM THE VOTING ROLLS.
WHAT DID THEY DO?
- SO WE HAD SENT OUTPOST CARDS
BACK IN NOVEMBER TO ABOUT
300,000 PEOPLE WHO WE BELIEVE
HAD MOVED BASED ON CHANGES AT
DMV OR OTHER AGENCIES.
AND WHAT HAPPENED IS WE THINK
MAYBE A DOZEN PEOPLE WENT TO THE
POLLS ON ELECTION DAY AND THEY
WEREN'T ON THE POLL BOOKS, SO
THEY HAD TO REREGISTER.
WE DON'T KNOW OF ANYBODY THAT
WASN'T ABLE TO VOTE.
BUT TO MAKE SURE THIS DOESN'T
HAPPEN IN APRIL, WE'RE GOING TO
PRINT A SUPPLEMENT POLL LIST OF
THOSE PEOPLE WHO WE THOUGHT
MOVED AND IF THE POLL WORKERS
CAN'T FIND YOU ON THE MAIN LIST
THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK ON THIS
OTHER LIST.
AND IF YOU'RE THERE, YOU JUST
SAY I HAVEN'T MOVED, I'M FINE
AND YOU'LL GET TO VOTE.
IF YOU HAVE ACTUALLY MOVED, YOU
WILL NEED TO REREGISTER.
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I
THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T
UNDERSTAND.
IF YOU MOVE, WHETHER IT'S ACROSS
THE STREET, EVEN ACROSS THE HALL
IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING, THE
LAW SAYS YOU HAVE TO REREGISTER.
- SAME-DAY REGISTRATION.
REID MAGNEY, THANKS VERY MUCH.
THIS AFTERNOON GOVERNOR SCOTT
WALKER WENT AGAINST PRESIDENT
TRUMP'S CALL FOR TARIFFS ON IM
FOR THE D
IMPORTED STEEL AND ALUMINUM.
IF THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO
PROTECT GOOD-PAYING, F
AMILY-SUPPORTING JOBS IN
AMERICA, ESPECIALLY HERE IN
WISCONSIN, THEN HE SHOULD
RECONSIDER THE ADMINISTRATION'S
POSITION ON THESE TARIFFS,
PARTICULARLY ON ULTRA THIN
ALUMINUM.