SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 25 April 2024, Thursday |

U.S. to warn of threats to midterm elections

In advance of the Nov. 8 congressional elections, the federal government is expected to issue a warning this week about potential risks to the country’s election operations, according to a report from Politico on Monday.

According to the news outlet’s story, which relied on two people with knowledge of the situation, the internal intelligence bulletin will provide specifics on cyber threats from China and Russia as well as potential physical threats to election officials across the country.

In the next midterm elections, Republicans hope to retake the Senate and the House of Representatives from Biden’s fellow Democrats.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately react to a request for comment on the report after being referred to by representatives of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) as a source for information.

Before the midterm elections, domestic disinformation efforts and homegrown threats against poll workers are becoming more of a concern, two senior U.S. officials told Reuters last week.

Russia and Iran, accused of meddling in past U.S. elections using disinformation campaigns, are enmeshed in their own crises – the Russian invasion of Ukraine and mass protests in Iran – and have not yet been found to have targeted this election, according to the U.S. cybersecurity and law enforcement officials.

In the United States, the topic of election integrity has generated controversy, especially in the wake of the 2020 presidential election. Former Republican president Donald Trump has persisted in spreading untrue allegations that Democratic President Joe Biden used vote-rigging to steal the election from him.

According to Reuters, there have been numerous instances since 2020 where Trump supporters have threatened, harassed, or physically assaulted poll workers. According to opinion surveys, a sizable majority of Republican voters think Trump won the election.

    Source:
  • Reuters