Former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats says that the Russian operatives are currently working to interfere in American elections.
During an interview with CBS News on Thursday, Coats was asked whether President Donald Trumpâs references to Russian interference in the 2020 election as a âhoaxâ are accurate.
The retired intelligence official said, âI am absolutely clear that by the intelligence that we have gathered that we have full confidence that the Russians are going after our elections.â
Coats continued, âTheyâre trying to undermine our confidence in democracy. Theyâre doing it now, theyâre going to continue to do it. And the American people need to know that.â
After the intelligence community warned Congress that the Russians are working to help Trumpâs re-election campaign, the president tweeted that the briefings were âanother misinformation campaignâ and that itâs âbeing launched by Democrats.â
For the past year, intelligence and national security officials have been warning the nation that the Russians are working to interfere in the 2020 election.
FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress that the Russians are putting out a âsteady drumbeat of misinformationâ aimed at undermining Democratic nominee Joe Bidenâs campaign.
The Department of Homeland Security has warned that the Russians are working to undermine confidence in mail-in voting. President Trump has also attacked mail-in voting and frequently said that mail-in votes are rife with fraud, though there is little evidence to support the presidentâs position.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has also frequently sounded the alarm on the campaign trail. Over the summer, he said, âWe know from before, and I guarantee you that I know now, because now I get briefings again. The Russians are still engaged in trying to delegitimize our electoral process.â
Unsurprisingly, Russian officials have denied that theyâre meddling in the 2020 campaign. A Kremlin spokesperson said that the intelligence communityâs warnings about election meddling âare more paranoid announcements which, to our regret, will multiply as we get closer to the election.â
