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US Congress committee set to hear Kaspersky’s testimony, but date not set yet

On Wednesday, the committee will hold hearings on the use of Kaspersky Lab products by US governmental agencies

WASHINGTON, October 25. /TASS/. The US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology is set to hold hearings with the attendance of Eugene Kaspersky, the CEO of Russian multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus firm Kaspersky Lab, a committee representative told TASS on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the committee will hold hearings on the use of Kaspersky Lab products by US governmental bodies.

The official said that Kaspersky "is not a witness" during Wednesday’s hearings.

"The original plan was to have multiple hearings and <…> schedule him on one of those. But that has yet to be scheduled or announced," the source said, adding that inviting Kaspersky to the Congress was still an option, and the committee kept in contact with him.

Kaspersky earlier received an invitation to testify before the US Congress to address the allegations against his company. He agreed to testify, but later Washington postponed the hearing.

"Kaspersky Lab was not invited to participate in the hearing on October 25, but we look forward to continuing to work with the Committee. We appreciate the opportunity to engage with the Committee and other stakeholders to educate them about our company and operations as they continue their important oversight activities," the US office of Kaspersky Lab told TASS.

In mid-September, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that Kaspersky Lab products threatened the country’s national security and urged US government agencies to abandon its products. According to the department, the Russian company's products can be used by Russian authorities to access government documents of the United States.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov slammed the US authorities’ decision on Kaspersky Lab as politically motivated. The Russian authorities said the move is the manifestation of unfair competition. Kaspersky Lab dismissed all accusations of cyber-espionage and said it was ready to provide source codes in order to remove any charges.