Ex-Obama homeland security chief Jeh Johnson to face intelligence panel on Russia election interference

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Jeh Johnson, former secretary of Homeland Security (DHS).

Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is set to testify at a House intelligence committee hearing as the panel presses ahead with its investigation of Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Johnson is scheduled to appear before the committee Wednesday. He served as former President Barack Obama’s homeland security chief for three years.

In prepared testimony, he described the interactions the Obama administration had with secretaries of state and local election officials about the dangers that Russian hacking posed.

In early January, Johnson designated U.S. election systems such as polling places and voter registration databases as critical infrastructure. The move was aimed at providing more federal cybersecurity assistance to state and local governments.

But election organization officials criticized the decision as an overreach that could make elections less transparent.