Foreign adversaries will aim to discredit results after Election Day, intel officials warn

Foreign rivals seeking to tip November’s presidential election results in their favor will likely deploy tactics that cast doubt on the election results after Nov. 5 by amplifying false claims and disinformation, intelligence officials warn.

The intelligence community “expects foreign influence actors to continue their campaigns by calling into question the validity of the election’s results after the polls close,” an official in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence told reporters on a Monday call. 

“Thus, in such a contested post-election atmosphere, foreign actors probably will use tactics similar to those that they are using today to undermine trust in the integrity of the election and election processes, as well as to further exacerbate divisions among Americans,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity per ground rules of the call.

The assessment, delivered just under a month before Nov. 5, adds that foreign adversaries are expecting the race between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris to be a close call.

Foreign nations — namely Russia, Iran and China — have already made attempts throughout the past year to meddle in election outcomes and political discourse. The U.S. last month charged Iranian operatives with carrying out hacking activities to disrupt the election, including a breach into the email inboxes of Trump campaign staff.

Officials also said that Russia, China and Cuba are aiming to influence the vote in select congressional races to promote candidates that are more in favor of the nations’ geopolitical or economic stances.

Moscow, for instance, backs candidates opposed to sending more aid to Ukraine, while Beijing is pushing for those that support core interests around its claims to Taiwan. 

Cuba is focused on top-of-mind political issues, including trade embargoes and travel restrictions. 

“Havana considers election influence activities as part of its standing requirements to influence those policies, and Florida is a prime target of their activities,” said the ODNI official, who added that Cuban operatives have focused heavily on the Latino population and Spanish-speaking voters.

A different ODNI official said that campaigns have received “defensive briefings” about the malign influence efforts but declined to name specifics. The official added that the office has delivered more than “three times the number of briefings that we have delivered in prior election cycles.”