Tallahassee, FL — Governor Ron DeSantis says the FBI confirmed that Russian hackers gained access to voter databases in two Florida counties ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
At a news confrerence, DeSantis said the hackers didn't manipulate any data and the election results weren't compromised. The governor said he signed an agreement with the FBI not to disclose the names of the counties, but elections officials in those counties are aware of the intrusions.
He said the hackers gained access through a spearfishing email after a worker clicked a link.
Senator Marco Rubio has previously said at least one Florida county had an intrusion.
Special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election also said hackers gained access to the network of at least one Florida county.
Duval County Supervisor of Elections Supervisor Mike Hogan tells WOKV News that he was assured in 2018 that there was no hacking or manipulation of the Florida database.
“There were attempts but no one got in”, Hogan said minutes after DeSantis made the announcement.
In April, Florida elections officials said they had no knowledge of any successful hacking attempt, despite Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report saying that Russian intelligence had gained access to the network of at least one Florida county government.
