Election securityDHS: Russia “Amplifying” Claims of Mail-In Voter Fraud
New analysis by DHS’s intelligence unit, released Thursday to federal and state law enforcement agencies, warned that “Russian malign influence actors” have targeted the absentee voting process “by spreading disinformation” since at least March. ABC News has obtained the document, which says that Russia has sought to “amplify” concerns over the integrity of U.S. elections by promoting allegations that mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud. This Russian campaign of disinformation replicates and reinforces President Donald Trump’s own campaign of unfounded claims about the integrity of mail-in voting.
New analysis by DHS’s intelligence unit, released Thursday to federal and state law enforcement agencies, warned that “Russian malign influence actors” have targeted the absentee voting process “by spreading disinformation” since at least March.
ABC News has obtained the document, which says that Russia has sought to “amplify” concerns over the integrity of U.S. elections by promoting allegations that mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud.
This Russian campaign of disinformation replicates and reinforces President Donald Trump’s own campaign of unfounded claims about the integrity of mail-in voting.
The DHS intelligence analysis says:
Russian state media and proxy websites in mid-August 2020 criticized the integrity of expanded and universal vote-by-mail, claiming ineligible voters could receive ballots due to out-of-date voter rolls, leaving a vast amount of ballots unaccounted for and vulnerable to tampering,” the bulletin notes.
These websites also alleged that vote-by-mail processes would overburden the U.S. Postal Service and local boards of election,” it continues, “delaying vote tabulation and creating more opportunities for fraud and error.
ABC News that Trump has been engaged in a sustained effort to undermine public confidence in the upcoming election by, among other falsehoods, issuing baseless warnings that mail-in-voting could lead to widespread voter fraud.
John Cohen, the former undersecretary for intelligence at DHS under President Barack Obama, told ABC News the parallel messages emanating from both the Trump campaign and Russian malign actors is “highly disturbing.”
“This most recent DHS intelligence report along with other recent reporting by intelligence and law enforcement entities should put to rest any doubts that Russia is spreading conspiracy theories and lies in an effort to influence the outcome of the 2020 election by undermining confidence in the election process and influence voter opinion,” said Cohen.
On Wednesday, ABC News broke the story that senior DHS officials blocked a July DHS intelligence bulletin from being distribution to federal and state law enforcement agencies – a bulletin which found that the Kremlin’s disinformation and propaganda specialists were engaged in a campaign to raise questions about the mental health of Biden in order to help Trump win the November election. This line of attack also replicates and reinforces the attacks the president and his reelection campaign have been using against Biden.
The blocked July bulletin, titled “Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of US Candidates to Influence 2020 Election,” notes that the Iranian efforts to interfere in the November election, although miniscule relative to the Russian campaign, raise question about Trump’s mental acuity.
In a statement to ABC News, a DHS spokesperson confirmed that the July product was “delayed,” explaining that it “lacked the necessary context and evidence for broader dissemination.”
After ABC News published its report, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf also acknowledged that the bulletin was withheld, calling it “a very poorly written report” during an appearance on Fox News.
