“They have already penetrated certain counties in the state and they now have free rein to move about,” Nelson told the newspaper, which posted an audio recording of the interview on its website.
Democrat Nelson and Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida wrote a letter last month to the state’s 67 county election supervisors about potential threats, the newspaper said. But that letter lacked the specificity Nelson has laid out, according to the Times.
“We were requested by the chairman and vice chairman of the (Senate) Intelligence Committee to let supervisors of election in Florida know that the Russians are in their records,” Nelson told the newspaper.
But the state department that oversees elections pushed back against Nelson’s comments, saying it received “zero information” from Nelson, federal or state agencies to support the infiltration claim. Nelson is running for re-election in November against Florida Governor Rick Scott.
“If Senator Nelson has specific information about threats to our elections, he should share it with election officials in Florida,” said Sarah Revell, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of State, adding that state and local officials received funding to strengthen the security of election systems.