Venable's Managing Director of Cybersecurity Services, Ari Schwartz, was quoted in a December 27, 2016, Washington Post article on the Obama administration's response to Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. Russia is accused of hacking the emails of top Democratic organizations and officials and releasing them to WikiLeaks in an effort to influence the outcome of the election. The administration's response, including economic sanctions and diplomatic censure, stems from a 2015 executive order authorizing the president to respond to overseas cyberattacks.
"When the president came into office, he didn’t have that many tools out there to use as a response," said Schwartz. "Having the sanctions tool is really a big one. It can make a very strong statement in a way that is less drastic than bombing a country and more impactful than sending out a cable from the State Department."