Russian interference: US intel warn democracy ‘in the crosshairs’

The US administration has warned that Russia is conducting "information warfare" ahead of its midterm elections and has assembled "vast, government-wide effort" to counteract meddling efforts, officials said on Thursday. US President Donald Trump has faced bipartisan criticism that the country remains exposed to election meddling as he fails to act on the issue.

The heads of national intelligence, Homeland Security, the National Security Agency and the FBI appeared alongside each other to assure the public they were acting against meddling.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said: "We continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to try to weaken and divide the United States."

FBI Director Christopher Wray said: "This is not just an election cycle threat. Our adversaries are trying to undermine our country on a persistent and regular basis, whether it's election season or not."

Homeland security chief Kirstjen Nielsen said: "Our democracy itself is in the crosshairs."

What was announced:

• They said Russia was still attempting to undermine US democracy through various means.
• They said Russia was attempting to disseminate false information, suppress voting and provide illegal campaign financing, and commit cyber attacks against voting infrastructure, elected officials and others.
• Intelligence agencies will now share classified information with social media networks to combat such attempts.
• They are conducting investigations into foreign interference.
• There will be a stronger focus on sharing signs of possible interference with state and local partners.

Although scant on details, the collective warning runs counter to Trump's repeated downplaying of Russian interference in his election victory. The assembly of the leaders of the US intelligence community, all stressing Russian interference attempts, came soon after Trump was forced to retract statements that undermined their conclusions.