US Counterintelligence Chief Warns of Possible Meddling In 2020 Elections

By Staff, Agencies

US voters must stay vigilant as they navigate the news landscape in the run-up to the 2020 election as foreign meddling could be underway, US counter-espionage chief William Evanina said Friday.

The Head of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center said there were signs that foreign powers were trying to make inroads into political campaigns and seeking access to the voting infrastructure.

He said that while the US electoral system is "extraordinarily difficult" to strike offline or alter the result without raising red flags, there were also signs that foreign adversaries were trying to sway the US public opinion through use of traditional and social media.

“The American public has a role to play in securing the election, particularly in maintaining vigilance against foreign influence,” he said, as cited by Reuters.

Earlier in the week, the Democratic party came out with a letter warning that foreign adversaries were trying to affect the outcome of the 2020 vote and the work of the Congress.

According to reports in the US media, a classified addendum to the letter warned that Russia could be funneling information to the Senate probe into Hunter Biden, son of presumptive Democrat nominee Joe Biden, who used to be a board member of a Ukrainian energy company linked with multiple corruption cases.

The Democrats lashed out against Evanina's warning Friday, saying it was too generic and put adversaries of different capabilities and intents into the same basket.