With less than two weeks before the election, U.S. intelligence officials say they have uncovered evidence that foreign adversaries are trying to interfere in the 2020 election to incite unrest and undermine confidence in American democracy.
In a press conference on Wednesday night, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said, “We have identified that two foreign actors, Iran and Russia, have taken specific actions to influence public opinion relating to our elections.”
He went on to say that both countries have obtained some voter registration information that they are using to influence voters’ opinions, incite unrest ahead of the election, and harm President Donald Trump‘s candidacy.
“This data can be used by foreign actors to attempt to communicate false information to registered voters that they hope will cause confusion, sow chaos, and undermine your confidence in American democracy,” Ratcliffe said.
He continued, “To that end, we have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest, and damage President Trump. You may have seen some reporting on this in the last 24 hours, or you may have even been one of the recipients of those emails.”
Specifically, he said Iran has been disseminating false information in videos that claim individuals can cast fraudulent ballots “even from overseas.”
“This video and any claims about such allegedly fraudulent ballots are not true,” he assured the American people.
“These actions are desperate attempts by desperate adversaries. Even if the adversaries pursue further attempts to intimidate or attempt to undermine voter confidence, know that our election systems are resilient, and you can be confident your votes are secure. Although we have not seen the same actions from Russia, we are aware that they have obtained some voter information just as they did in 2016. Rest assured that we are prepared for the possibility of actions by those hostile to democracy.”
Watch the press conference below:
The Washington Post reported that intelligence officials discovered Iranian operatives had sent fraudulent, threatening emails claiming to be from the far-right Proud Boys group to registered Democratic voters.
“You will vote for Trump on Election Day, or we will come after you,” the emails read.
According to intelligence officials, the emails had reached voters in at least four battleground states.
Finally, Ratcliffe said, “Do not allow these efforts to have the intended effect. If you receive an intimidating or manipulative email in your inbox, don’t be alarmed and do not spread it.”
He also praised intelligence community officials for uncovering the activity “immediately.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray also attended the press conference and vowed that, “We are not going to let our guard down.”
He also encouraged Americans to apply a “healthy dose of skepticism” to claims that their vote will not count.
In August, U.S. intelligence officials warned that Russian operatives were working to “denigrate” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
