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Top Democrats Sound Alarm About Election Interference

Jeff Seldin

   WASHINGTON - A key group of lawmakers is warning that the U.S. Congress
   may be the target of a campaign by foreign actors to interfere in the
   upcoming presidential election.

   The warning from Democratic members of the so-called Gang of Eight,
   which includes the Speaker of the House, the Senate Minority Leader and
   the top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees,
   comes in a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, demanding a
   briefing for all lawmakers by the end of the month.

   "We are gravely concerned, in particular, that Congress appears to be
   the target of a concerted foreign interference campaign, which seeks to
   launder and amplify disinformation in order to influence congressional
   activity, public debate, and the presidential election in November,"
   the lawmakers wrote in the July 13 letter to FBI Director Christopher
   Wray.

   The letter shares few other details but cites "the seriousness and
   specificity of these threats," as a reason for the urgent, classified
   briefing.

   The FBI told VOA it received the letter but declined further comment.

   The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which
   announced in May that it would lead "all intelligence-based threat
   briefings to candidates, campaigns and political organizations," also
   declined to comment on the concerns.

     NEW: [1]@ODNIgov acting Dir [2]@RichardGrenell announcing changes to
     way election-related threat information is shared
     w/candidates/campaigns/political organizations
     "The US Intelligence Community (IC) will lead all intelligence-based
     threat briefings" per statement [3]pic.twitter.com/i9WZj0Jvjp
     -- Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) [4]May 15, 2020

   But a spokesperson noted that officials have continued to brief
   lawmakers on election security threats.

   It remains unclear whether key Republican leaders in Congress supported
   the call for an urgent counterintelligence briefing. VOA requests to
   the top Republican lawmakers on the House and Senate intelligence
   committees went unanswered.

   Fears about efforts by U.S. adversaries, including Russia and China,
   trying to meddle in the U.S. presidential election in November are not
   new.

   In a statement ahead of key primary elections this past March, multiple
   government agencies, including the FBI, the State Department, the
   Department of Homeland Security and ODNI warned that voters must
   "remain aware that foreign actors continue to try to influence public
   sentiment and shape voter perceptions."

     JUST IN: [5]#SuperTuesday2020 statement from [6]@StateDept
     [7]@DeptofDefense [8]@DHSgov [9]@CISAgov [10]@ODNIgov [11]@NSAGov
     [12]@FBI
     Voters must "remain aware that foreign actors continue to try to
     influence public sentiment and shape voter perceptions"
     [13]pic.twitter.com/uOsAXFLiiA
     -- Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) [14]March 2, 2020

   More recently, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, former
   Vice President Joe Biden, said he was warned about Russian and Chinese
   efforts.

   "We know from before -- and I guarantee you I know now, because now I
   get briefings again -- the Russians are still engaged in trying to
   delegitimize our electoral process," he told supporters during an
   online fundraiser last week.

   "China and others are engaged, as well, in activities that are designed
   for us to lose confidence in the outcome," Biden said.

   Other Democrats have also raised concerns.

   The ranking Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Finance
   committees sent a letter to their Republican counterparts last week
   asking for a briefing from the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force and
   other relevant intelligence officials.

   [15]The letter, which cited reporting by The Washington Post, expressed
   concerns about pro-Russian Ukrainian operatives and material they may
   have offered the two committees in connection with an investigation
   into Biden's son, Hunter.

   Despite such concerns, U.S. officials have sought to assure Americans
   that the vote itself will be secure when they head to the polls in a
   little less than three and a half months.

   "I've said it before and I'll say it again -- the 2020 election will be
   the most secure election in modern history," Chris Krebs, director of
   the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said this
   last Friday.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/ODNIgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   2. https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   3. https://t.co/i9WZj0Jvjp
   4. https://twitter.com/jseldin/status/1261382458051878919?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   5. https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuperTuesday2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   6. https://twitter.com/StateDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   7. https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   8. https://twitter.com/DHSgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   9. https://twitter.com/CISAgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
  10. https://twitter.com/ODNIgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
  11. https://twitter.com/NSAGov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
  12. https://twitter.com/FBI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
  13. https://t.co/uOsAXFLiiA
  14. https://twitter.com/jseldin/status/1234584319504637952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
  15. https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/200716_Letter_PetersWyden_IntelligenceBriefingRequest.pdf

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