The top U.S. counterintelligence official announced Friday a series of foreign threats facing the 2020 presidential election, warning in particular that Russia is using a range of measures to “primarily denigrate” former Vice President Joe Biden while China prefers that President Trump not win reelection.
William Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, pointed to China, Russia and Iran as the three primary foreign threats to the U.S. presidential race, cautioning that they are seeking to “sway voters’ preferences and perspectives,” sow discord and “undermine the American people’s confidence in our democratic process.”
“Many foreign actors have a preference for who wins the election, which they express through a range of overt and private statements; covert influence efforts are rarer. We are primarily concerned about the ongoing and potential activity by China, Russia, and Iran,” Evanina said in a statement.
Evanina said the U.S. intelligence community has found that China does not want Trump to win reelection because it views him as “unpredictable,” pointing to Beijing’s criticisms of his statements and actions toward Hong Kong, video app TikTok, 5G cellular networks and the legal battle over the South China Sea.
“Although China will continue to weigh the risks and benefits of aggressive action, its public rhetoric over the past few months has grown increasingly critical of the current Administration’s COVID-19 response, closure of China’s Houston Consulate, and actions on other issues,” said Evanina. “Beijing recognizes that all of these efforts might affect the presidential race.”
The top intelligence official said Russia is trying to hurt Biden and others whom it views as an anti-Russia “establishment.”
The official said this is in line with how Russia felt toward Biden during his time in the Obama administration, in particular his role in advancing “policies on Ukraine and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia.”
“Some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump’s candidacy on social media and Russian television,” Evanina warned.
“For example, pro-Russia Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach is spreading claims about corruption – including through publicizing leaked phone calls – to undermine former Vice President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party,” he said.
Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Mark Warner (Va.), the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, respectively, said in response to Evanina’s statement that they “encourage political leaders on all sides to refrain from weaponizing intelligence matters for political gain,” arguing that doing so “only furthers the divisive aims of our adversaries.”
The intelligence community concluded that Russia sought to interfere in the last presidential election through cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns online. The intelligence community also found that Russia sought to hurt Trump’s political opponent in 2016, Hillary Clinton.
Evanina warned Friday that Iran is also seeking to undermine Trump and U.S. institutions, all while seeking to divide the U.S. ahead of November. He said Iran will likely focus its efforts with online influence campaigns, such as spreading disinformation on social media.
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#BREAKING: Top intelligence official warns of foreign influence ahead of 2020, says Russia trying to "denigrate" Biden https://t.co/ONV0V3fYsP pic.twitter.com/pQs8Tx5vtn
— The Hill (@thehill) August 7, 2020
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) August 7, 2020
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