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Friday 28 OctOber 2022
Spy agencies pulled 2020 vote study amid internal dissent

intelligence officer for cy-
ber said he believed China
“took at least some steps”
in 2020 to try to undermine
Trump, primarily through
social media and official
statements.
This year, U.S. officials are
warning of more foreign
campaigns to influence
midterm races along with
the spread of domestic
disinformation, the pros-
pect of cyberattacks, and
threats and harassment to-
ward election workers.
“The current election threat
environment is more com-
plex than it has ever been,”
said Jen Easterly, the direc-
tor of the Department of
Homeland Security’s cy-
bersecurity arm, in a recent
media briefing.
Intelligence officials have
not given a public briefing
on foreign election threats.
But unclassified intelligence
reports from the Depart-
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, moderated ment of Homeland Secu-
by Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, left. rity, sent to state and lo-
Associated Press cal governments, capture
some of the current U.S.
Continued from Front It was ultimately repub- on the agency’s history each country’s intentions findings on the intentions of
lished with what’s known staff, said any decision to and actions. Russia, China and Iran.
The dispute over a relative- as a “scope note” explain- withdraw a study would be The ombudsman accused Russia is seen as trying to
ly routine study and its un- ing the study was focused unusual, but not unprec- Trump’s top appointees undermine Americans’ will-
usual withdrawal highlight primarily on senior leaders edented. Dujmovic, now of delaying and distorting ingness to support Ukraine
ongoing concerns over and not intended to delve a professor at the Wash- some intelligence findings eight months into Putin’s
how to address the varying into the politicization of in- ington-based Catholic for political reasons. Some invasion.
foreign threats to U.S. elec- telligence or other poten- University of America, said of Trump’s attacks on elec- Iran may be interested in
tions — including disinfor- tial issues around elections. he did not have specific tion-related intelligence “exacerbating social divi-
mation, cyber espionage Several people described knowledge of the recently became public in 2020, sions and sowing doubt
and the amplification of the debate over the study republished study. including his firing of the in U.S. democratic institu-
existing divisions within on condition of anonymity “We’re in the intelligence director of national intel- tions,” according to a DHS
American society. In an in- to discuss sensitive intelli- business. We’re in the truth ligence, Joseph Maguire, report issued earlier this
creasingly polarized Amer- gence matters. business,” he said. “Occa- after his office briefed Con- year.
ica, some of those tensions Tim Barrett, the top spokes- sionally, if we have informa- gress that Russia was trying And China is probably
have spilled over inside the man for Director of Nation- tion that a study is flawed, to boost Trump’s reelection seeking to influence select
nominally apolitical world al Intelligence Avril Haines, we might pull it back and campaign. midterm races to “hinder
of intelligence, some for- said intelligence officials rework it.” Zulauf also found the po- candidates perceived to
mer officers say. have expanded training on One of the study’s recom- litical pressure may have be particularly adversarial
Some officers have alleged objectivity in analysis and mendations was for intelli- affected analysts focused to Beijing,” according to a
intelligence leaders in 2020 worked to better collabo- gence agencies to adopt on China, who “appeared DHS report from Septem-
played down findings on rate across agencies. a definition across countries hesitant to assess Chinese ber. Officials said in the ad-
Russia to suit the demands “We are committed to im- of “election influence” and actions as undue influence visory they believe Beijing
of former President Donald partial and inclusive analy- “election interference.” or interference,” in part sees a lower risk in med-
Trump, who fired a director sis and will continue to pro- The lack of a standard because they felt Trump dling in the midterms versus
of national intelligence in vide the insights needed to practice was flagged by would use their findings to a presidential election.
one dispute over Moscow’s safeguard our democra- the intelligence communi- attack China and down- Zulauf, the ombudsman,
election meddling. Others cy,” Barrett said in a state- ty’s analytic ombudsman, play Russia’s interventions said in his report released
say election-related intel- ment. Barry Zulauf, shortly after in support of him. last year that the “polar-
ligence on China in par- The CIA’s Center for the the 2020 election. Zulauf Ultimately, U.S. intelligence ized atmosphere” of the
ticular was wrongly played Study of Intelligence pro- wrote in a separate report concluded Russian Presi- U.S. has “threatened to un-
down out of a belief that duces internal histories of — an unclassified version dent Vladimir Putin autho- dermine the foundations of
politicians would misuse it. key moments and issues of which was released in rized influence operations our Republic, penetrating
The study was requested by faced across the intelli- January 2021 — that ana- intended to help Trump even into the Intelligence
the former election threats gence community. Its re- lysts studying Russia and while Chinese leaders Community.”
executive at the Office of ports are intended to guide China defined “influence” “considered but did not That has made election in-
the Director of National In- current and future officers. differently, possibly lead- deploy” measures. fluence a particularly sensi-
telligence, which oversees Nicholas Dujmovic, a re- ing to the analysts drawing In a dissent published in the tive topic for spy agencies,
the 18 U.S. spy agencies. tired CIA officer who served different conclusions about same report, the national former officers say.q