Russia, China and Iran will step up their efforts to influence the US election ahead of voting day. They may use physical threats or even violence, said a representative of the American intelligence services.
A representative of the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) spoke on Tuesday at a briefing organized two weeks before Election Day in USAthat “the intelligence community expects foreign efforts to influence the election to increase in the run-up to Election Day, particularly through social media posts.”
He added that foreign entities, primarily Russia, Iran and China“remain focused on stoking divisive narratives to divide Americans and undermine their faith in the U.S. democratic system.” He also warned that they may use threats or violence for this purpose.
In its latest report on foreign interference in the elections, ODNI assessed that Russia's actions were intended to help Donald TrumpIran – Kamala Harris, while China focuses on fueling divisions and elections to Congress. The services also estimate that Iran still intends to assassinate Trump.
Enemy countries “better prepared” than four years ago
The services also expect that the efforts of foreign intelligence agencies will not end on election day, but will focus on fueling election controversies or narratives about fraud. The official said that “nations hostile to the U.S. are better prepared this time around to seize opportunities in the period after Election Day, in part because of lessons learned from the 2020 elections.”
The ODNI representative also stated that an example of the activities of the Russian services, whose efforts are the most intense and technologically advanced, is the dissemination of fictitious accusations against the Democratic candidate for vice president, Tim Walz, of sexual harassment of a former student.
On Monday, Wired reported that the action was led by a unit linked to Russian intelligence, which was previously responsible for creating false reports, including video footage, that Kamala Harris she hit a 13-year-old girl with her car and fled the scene of the accident.
Disinformation about Walz, first posted on the X website by an account called Black Insurrectionist, was later spread by members of Trump's team, including Jack Posobiec, known for promoting conspiracy theories. Previously, false materials probably created by Russians were reproduced by the Republican candidate for vice president, JD Vance.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/ERIK S. LESSER