US intelligence officials said on Tuesday (October 8) that foreign adversaries are attempting to undermine American confidence in the legitimacy of the election results on November 5 by issuing false statements or spreading misinformation related to voting.
As Election Day approaches, the intelligence community is emphasizing that efforts by foreign entities to disrupt American democracy will not end on November 5. A senior intelligence official told the media during an online briefing.
In the latest assessment of foreign threats to the US election released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODI), intelligence officials pointed out that China and Russia are the primary foreign powers attempting to influence the election results, while also seeking to interfere in congressional and state elections.
Officials anticipate that foreign actors “will continue their activities after the voting ends, questioning the validity of the election results.”
The intelligence community assesses that the current presidential and congressional elections will be highly contentious, with foreign powers potentially using similar strategies employed today to undermine trust in the fairness of the election and electoral process, further exacerbating divisions among Americans.
The official stated that foreign adversaries may seek to amplify false allegations of ballot tampering circulating within the US and attempt to “manufacture” lies questioning the legitimacy of the election.
The intelligence officer added that the Communist Party of China’s election influence efforts are focused on “dozens” of congressional campaigns, with Beijing using various social media and online activities to discredit specific candidates.
According to a September declassified intelligence report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, they believe that Beijing is concentrating on influencing lower-level elections and has not yet attempted to influence the presidential race.
The US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) has been closely monitoring foreign entities’ interference in US elections. They stated that Beijing perceives a significant anti-China consensus in Washington, continuing its efforts to build relationships with US state and local officials and institutions.
“The intelligence community is aware that Beijing is attempting to influence US lower-level elections by focusing on candidates it sees as particularly threatening to China’s core security interests.” The DNI report said.
A declassified intelligence document from July stated that Beijing’s approach to the current US presidential election is more cautious than Russia’s, possibly not intending to influence the election results, as both parties are trying to contain China, with attempts to influence the election results yielding little effect.
Officials also noted that foreign adversaries are becoming increasingly adept at using Americans to spread their lies.
“The two methods they use are foreign influence companies or businesses, and the other method is using knowledgeable and unknowledgeable Americans to whitewash the narrative using authentic American voices.” The intelligence official said.
“Fundamentally, we believe foreign actors think Americans are more likely to believe other Americans rather than blatant foreign propaganda, so they make their content appear to come from others.” The official added.
Officials from China (Communist Party), Russia, Iran, and Cuba have all denied attempting to interfere in the US election through clandestine information operations.
US intelligence officials reiterated that Russia’s disinformation activities aim to undermine Vice President Harris and her Democratic colleagues as Moscow seeks to weaken Western support for Ukraine. Officials said Iran’s influence operations target discrediting the candidacy of former President Trump.