Russia and Iran have obtained data from hundreds of US voters and tried to influence the conduct of the elections. That’s what the American intelligence services say.
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The head of US national intelligence, Republican John Ratcliffe, announced at a press conference that Iran and Russia have been trying to interfere in the presidential election. “We have confirmed that Iran, and, separately, Russia, has obtained certain information about voter registration.” It is not known how both countries managed to obtain the information.
“This data could be used by foreign actors to try to communicate false information to registered voters, which they hope will create confusion and chaos and undermine your confidence in American democracy,” Ratcliffe said. According to an earlier statement by the intelligence services, Iran would mainly attack Trump and Russia mainly Biden.
Fake emails from ‘Proud Boys’
“We have already seen Iran send fake emails designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and harm President Trump,” Ratcliffe said.
The announcement came shortly after Democratic voters reported receiving threats to their personal addresses. On Wednesday, emails allegedly came from the Proud Boys, a far-right group, with the threat: “Vote for Trump or we will find you.” The Proud Boys were prominently in the news after the first debate between Trump and Biden because the president refused to distance himself from them, calling on them to ‘standby‘ to stand.
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False information about voting fraud
A false video allegedly also circulated through some of the emails, which was supposed to demonstrate fraud with ballot papers. “This video and any claims about such falsified ballots are wrong,” Ratcliffe said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray and members of the Senate Intelligence Committee also warned Wednesday evening that false information about electoral fraud is being spread, but that Americans should be very skeptical about it. According to them and according to Ratcliffe, everything is being done to ensure that the elections are fair and safe.
Wray said during the press conference that the US electoral infrastructure is resilient and that the authorities do not tolerate foreign interference. “We’re going to stay on our guard.”
Criticism from Democrats
The House of Representatives’ Internal Security Committee, led by Democrats, expressed its displeasure over Ratcliffe’s press conference via Twitter. They called the Republican a “ partisan hack ” and called for not listening to him because he was only talking about attempts by Iran to damage Trump. According to the Democrats, both Iran and Russia intervene in the election to help President Trump.
US intelligence already found out that Russia had tried to influence the 2016 presidential election by putting Trump in a better light. Ratcliffe did not say what efforts Russia made in 2020.
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