Top U.S. intelligence officials have issued a warning about rising foreign interference in American elections, particularly from Russia.
In a joint statement, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) expressed growing concerns about these foreign influence campaigns, which they highlighted on Friday.
The three agencies stated that they had been closely monitoring efforts by foreign adversaries, especially Russia, to conduct influence operations aimed at undermining public trust in U.S. elections and fueling divisions among Americans.
These operations are expected to intensify on Election Day, Tuesday, and continue in the aftermath, with particular focus on key battleground states, including Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina.
The U.S. electorate will decide between former Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency.
“Russia poses the most significant threat,” the agencies warned, noting that these efforts could lead to violence, including attacks on election officials.
They also anticipated that Russian-backed actors would continue to spread fabricated content leading up to and after Election Day, further exacerbating tensions. This includes false articles accusing U.S. officials of attempting to manipulate the elections through ballot stuffing and cyberattacks.
Additionally, the bad actors have been amplifying a video that falsely claimed to show an interview with someone alleging election fraud in Arizona in favor of Kamala Harris.