U.S. officials insist they're defending U.S. elections from Russia, despite Trump's reported indifference, anger

Trump reportedly bristles at Russian election interference talk

(Image credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 30 April 2019

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report details Russia's sophisticated, "sweeping, and systematic" campaign to interfere in America's 2016 election to aid President Trump, as well as the Trump campaign's receptivity to Russia's apparently ultimately fruitless overtures. U.S. intelligence and national security officials say they are working diligently to quash Russian attempts to meddle in the 2020 election.

U.S. spy and law enforcement agencies are "tracking cyber threats, sharing intelligence about foreign disinformation efforts with social media companies, and helping state election officials protect their systems against foreign manipulation," The Washington Post reports. But Trump's public skepticism of Russia's interference, private bristling at the implication his 2016 win is tainted by illegitimacy, and "lack of focus on election security has made it tougher for government officials to implement a more comprehensive approach to preserving the integrity of the electoral process, current and former officials said." The Post gives some examples from the past two years:

"It's a goddamn hoax," Trump said in one meeting with advisers in 2017 when they tried to discuss what the government should do to deter Russian operations. ... In one meeting in late summer 2018 in the Situation Room, aides told Trump that they wanted to talk publicly to raise voters' awareness of the interference ahead of the midterm. According to an official familiar with the meeting, Trump placed a condition on any public statements: The aides must also make clear that Russia didn't influence his win. [The Washington Post]

On the record, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and other officials say they have Trump's full and explicit support to counter Russian election attacks, but that doesn't mean they bother Trump with the details. "We don't seek daily validation from the White House on what our mission should be or is," one official tells the Post. 'We have clear authorities. We have budget. We're grown-ups here." You can read more about Trump and election security at The Washington Post.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.