Murkowski, Sullivan support election probe

FAIRBANKS — Alaska’s Republican U.S. senators support investigating whether Russia meddled in the presidential election, a newspaper said.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski cited the need for a thorough, transparent review by the Senate, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Wednesday.

Sen. Dan Sullivan supports an inquiry done through the existing committee structure, his office said.

His position aligns with that of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has rejected bipartisan calls for a special committee to investigate the issue.

CIA Director John Brennan has said the intelligence community is in agreement that Russia tried to interfere in the election, although there’s no evidence Moscow succeeded in helping President-elect Donald Trump win.

Sullivan said he wants the Senate to review U.S. cyber defenses as part of a broader discussion that looks at cyber threats.

He told the newspaper he doesn’t want an investigation used as a tool to delegitimize the outcome of the election.

“I think it’s very clear Hillary Clinton lost the election fair and square,” Sullivan said. “Donald Trump won and we need to make sure we’re moving forward together.”

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