U.S. officials: Iran and Russia attempting election interference

FBI Director Christopher Wray.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Russia and Iran have obtained voter registration information and Iran is using it to send disinformation to voters, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe announced during a Wednesday night news conference.

Ratcliffe said these "actions are desperate attempts by desperate adversaries," while Wray stated Americans "should be confident that your vote counts. Early, unverified claims to the contrary should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Ratcliffe, a Trump appointee, said Iran was behind some threatening emails sent to Americans, and while he did not give any specific details, he did say they were "designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest, and damage President Trump." This immediately received pushback from Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who tweeted, "Actually, [Department of Homeland Security] officials say that Iran sent spoofed emails to intimidate voters FOR Donald Trump. Are you being fully honest with the American people?"

Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner tweeted a copy of an email his friend received, purportedly from the Proud Boys, and he said "by its very terms, it's designed to HURT Biden!" Ratcliffe, Kirschner added, shared "disinformation" in an attempt to "energize Trump's base."

Explore More
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.