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The top Democrats on the House and Senate Intelligence Committee say they are bracing for the possibility that President Trump will make claims of foreign interference to challenge next month’s midterm elections.
Lawmakers said recent intelligence assessments show no indication of foreign efforts to manipulate voting machines or vote tallies. But Mr. Trump and his allies have an established history of raising claims about voter fraud and election interference.
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia and Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut said this week they asked CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to be available by phone on Election Day to seek direct access to senior intelligence officials who could help verify, in real time, any claims of foreign interference by the president or his administration.
“What we can ask is, what is the basis of this intelligence? What is the source of this intelligence?” Warner said.
“We’re making the assumption that the president is not going to accept the results of what looks to be quite a challenge for him and his party,” Himes told reporters Wednesday. “There’s a wide range of scenarios that we wargame and train for.”
The lawmakers, who could become chairmen of their respective committees if Democrats win control of both chambers in November, said they were concerned that Mr. Trump could cite fabricated or selectively presented intelligence to cast doubt on election results or justify extraordinary federal intervention, potentially attempting to seize ballots or voting equipment.
Himes added, however, that recent meetings with career intelligence officials have given him confidence that analysts will withstand pressure to produce evidence of foreign interference.
In a prime-time address in July, Mr. Trump cited declassified intelligence about China’s acquisition of American voter data to raise concerns about election security. The material he released did not show that Beijing changed votes or election results, and it is not clear how much of the voter data purchased by China was publicly available, although the White House said it did not include public data.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence told CBS News that Clayton, since his confirmation in July, “has made it clear to the leadership of the House Intelligence Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that he is available 24/7 on any issue.”
A CIA spokesman said: “Director Ratcliffe is responsive to CIA oversight committees and will continue to be available as appropriate.”
CBS News has contacted the White House for comment.
The lawmakers’ preparations come as the intelligence community continues to track foreign influence operations aimed at American voters, but to date has identified no evidence of plans to interfere with the mechanics of the election, Warner and Himes said.
The intelligence community distinguishes between foreign influence, which aims to sway voters or undermine confidence in elections, and interference, which involves targeting the technical aspects of elections, including voting machines and registration systems.
“Nothing out there suggests that there is either the ability or the intent to interfere,” Himes said, contrasting that assessment with a “pretty robust influence environment.”
He said recent intelligence assessments observed influence efforts underway by Russia, Iran and China, with a “grab bag” of other actors, including North Korea, weighing potential action.
Warner said Russia operations this cycle will follow “similarly to previous occasions,” including efforts targeting Democrats. Himes added that Russian campaigns “are also particularly focused in a bipartisan way on people and things that have been aggressive toward Ukraine.”
Iranian actors “are looking at disruption in Europe,” Warner said, while Chinese operations have been more selective and aimed at local races.
Ahead of the 2024 election, US intelligence officials assessed that Moscow favored Mr Trump’s candidacy, while Tehran favored his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris. Iranian operatives have also been accused of targeting presidential campaigns through cyber operations, including the compromise of Mr Trump’s campaign.
The US intelligence community also found that Russia is trying to influence the 2020 election to support the Trump campaign, while Iran is trying to denigrate the Trump campaign. Intelligence agencies found “no indications that a foreign actor attempted to alter any technical aspect of the election process,” including voter registration or vote counting.
Warner and Himes said Congress has yet to receive several election-related intelligence assessments required by law, including reports due 120, 60 and 30 days before Election Day. The committees received a classified update this week, and the House panel expects another bipartisan briefing next week.
They attributed the exaggerated updates to the voices of Clayton’s predecessors at ODNI – Tulsi Gabbard and Bill Pulte, who played the role in an acting capacity.
“The previous two DNIs had zero interest in complying with the law here,” Warner said, while acknowledging that Clayton had made an effort to address some of the shortcomings.
Lawmakers also expressed concern about what they described as a weakening of the federal government’s capacity to detect and detect election threats, with cuts at the Foreign Malign Influence Center at ODNI, as well as a significant reduction in staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which helps state and local officials protect election infrastructure.
Himes warned that the loss of technical expertise could undermine the government’s ability to detect foreign threats, even if career intelligence analysts remain committed to producing objective assessments.
“You can do a lot of work with loyal analysts at ODNI or CIA,” Himes said. “If you don’t have the technical talent to technically identify — either collection or exploitation — you have a big problem.”
