WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Justice announced charges Thursday against two Iranians and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against six Iranian individuals and one Iranian entity for attempting to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election:

“Our intelligence officials have continually warned that other countries would seek to follow Russia’s 2016 playbook. Today’s charges and sanctions against several Iranians believed to be behind a cyber campaign to intimidate and influence American voters in the 2020 election are further evidence that attempts to interfere in our elections will continue, and we must all be on guard against them. I applaud intelligence officials and the Biden administration for taking these significant steps today to punish the actors behind Iran’s influence campaign and sending a clear message to our adversaries that interference in American elections will no longer be tolerated.” 

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