Concerns Over Russia's Efforts to 'Interfere' in This Year's U.S. Elections

Several senior U.S. intelligence and security officials say that Russia continues its 'comprehensive' efforts to sow discord in American society and interfere in the upcoming elections. Dan Coats, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, stated on Thursday, August 1, during a White House briefing that, 'We continue to witness Russia's extensive campaign to undermine America and create division in the country. Our goal today is to inform the American people that we are aware of these threats. These threats are real and ongoing. We are doing everything we can to hold elections that are legitimate and trusted by the American people.' He made these remarks during a joint meeting with senior intelligence officials, including Christopher Wray, the FBI Director, and John Bolton, the National Security Advisor to the President. Coats added, 'The intelligence community remains concerned about the threats facing the upcoming elections, both the midterm elections and the 2020 presidential election.' The elections for the House of Representatives and the midterm Senate elections are scheduled for November—about three months from now. These remarks come as the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed in late July Russia's attempts to interfere in the 2016 elections and charged 12 Russian intelligence officers with meddling in that election. Intelligence officials say this interference benefited the campaign of Donald Trump, the current U.S. President. Trump has acknowledged that Russia interfered in the 2016 election but insists that this interference did not affect the election's outcome. Many Democrats and some Republicans are now criticizing Trump and his administration for not doing enough to prevent Russian interference in the midterm elections. However, John Bolton disagrees with this assertion. On Thursday, he praised Trump's efforts in this area, stating that he has made extensive efforts to prevent interference in U.S. elections by Russia or any other country. Coats also mentioned, 'We are doing everything we can. The President has specifically asked us to prioritize the issue of election interference and to keep our election process secure.' The statements from U.S. security and intelligence officials came just hours after a powerful group of Democratic and Republican senators presented their proposal to protect 'American security' against Russian influence. In a statement, these senators announced that their proposal calls for new sanctions against 'political figures, oligarchs, family members, and others who directly or indirectly pave the way for illegal and corrupt actions on behalf of Vladimir Putin (the President of Russia).' This proposal is at least the fourth bill introduced in Congress to confront Russia. Previous bills have referenced other Russian activities, including its hostile actions in Ukraine and Syria.