Foreign Interference in 2022 U.S. Midterm Elections on the Rise, Intelligence Report Finds
A declassified intelligence assessment released on Monday revealed an alarming increase in foreign government efforts to target the 2022 U.S. midterm elections compared to the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. The report indicates that there is a growing number of foreign influence activities involved in the electoral process.
According to the report, China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba have all attempted to interfere in the 2022 U.S. Congressional elections. While no foreign leader ordered a comprehensive, government-wide influence campaign similar to Russia’s actions in 2016, the assessment found that these countries have intensified their efforts to influence the upcoming elections.
The intelligence community assesses with high confidence that China has tacitly endorsed efforts to influence a small number of U.S. midterm elections involving members of both parties. This marks the first sign of China’s Communist Party leaders’ involvement since 2020. The report revealed that China has been focusing on exacerbating political divisions in American society and supporting or undermining specific candidates based on their policy positions.
At the same time, Russia is seeking to discredit the Democratic Party, undermine confidence in the election, and potentially undermine U.S. support for Ukraine. The intelligence report also confirmed extensive research and analysis by the Kremlin of the American public to identify key populations, narratives, and platforms for spreading its message.
The assessment also detailed Iran’s influence campaign, highlighting its efforts to exploit social divisions and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions. Overall, foreign actors are eschewing technically challenging efforts to change voting results and instead seeking to influence U.S. elections by damaging public perceptions of the integrity of the results.
The intelligence assessment did not study the possible impact of these influence activities on the results of the 2022 election. The U.S. intelligence community continues to monitor and address foreign interference in U.S. elections as a significant national security concern.