US Intelligence is Concerned About Russian Attempts to Weaken Society

Photo from AFP

The Russian Federation continues to intensify efforts to interfere in the November Congressional elections, United States Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said.

Coats said that a key Kremlin effort is to sow divisions in American society, particularly through social media.

“We continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to try to weaken and divide the United States. The intelligence community continues to be concerned about the threats of upcoming U.S. elections, both the midterms and the presidential elections of 2020,” Coats said at Thursday’s White House briefing with FBI Director Christopher Wray and national security advisor John Bolton.

US President Donald Trump has consistently played down reports of the Kremlin’s meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election,  but according to Coats, the president is supporting the intelligence community’s efforts to better secure the upcoming elections.

“We’re throwing everything at it,” Coats said. “The president has specifically directed us to make the matter of election meddling and securing our election process a top priority.”