ADVERTISEMENT

U.S. Warns About Chinese, Russian Election Interference Efforts

U.S. Warns About Chinese, Russian Election Interference Efforts

(Bloomberg) -- Top U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies warned about ongoing efforts by Russia, China and other foreign actors to interfere in the 2018 midterm and 2020 presidential elections.

Citing two Russian state-controlled media outlets, a joint statement on Friday by the Justice Department, FBI, Homeland Security Department and Office of the Director of National Intelligence said the effort includes a campaign to “amplify divisive issues, sponsoring specific content in English-language media like RT and Sputnik, seeding disinformation through sympathetic spokespersons regarding political candidates and disseminating foreign propaganda.”

The statement said there isn’t any evidence that foreign meddling has allowed adversaries to “prevent voting, change vote counts or disrupt our ability to tally votes,” but the warning comes less than three weeks before the midterm elections in which Republican control of Congress is at stake.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bill Faries in Washington at wfaries@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.