[JURIST] California Congressman Adam Schiff, [official website] on Sunday stated that there will be a bi-partisan push [Politico news report] for stronger sanctions against Russia if incoming president Donald Trump [official website] attempts to undo those already in place [JURIST report]. Condemning Trump’s consistent denial that Russia engaged in hacking the U.S. election, Schiff stated that the evidence of Russian involvement was

overwhelming and the president-elect… also said that he knows things that other people don’t know. He needs to stop talking this way. If he’s going to have any credibility as president, he needs to stop talking this way. He needs to stop denigrating the intelligence community. He’s going to rely on them. He’s going to have to rely on them. [If Trump attempts to undo the sanctions] you’re going to see Democrats and Republicans, like McCain and Graham and others, come together with a strong sanctions package because frankly even though what the administration did was more than symbolic, it was very meaningful. It is not enough to deter Russia.

While Schiff admitted that the Democratic party was partially to blame for the hacks due to its carelessness, he contended that Russia still acted inappropriately.

The issue of cybersecurity has been adressed several times by the White House under the Obama administration. In 2015 the White House imposed sanctions [JURIST report] and higher penalties on foreign security threats. The Obama administration has also urged Congress to pass stricter cyber security laws, and in 2013 an official from the Obama administration testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee to urge Congress to amend [JURIST report] the Freedom of Information Act in order to strengthen the government’s ability to prevent disclosure of information related to critical infrastructure and cybersecurity.