US Intel Report: Significant Foreign Meddling in 2022 Midterms

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Facts

  • A 2022 intelligence community report on foreign interference in that year's US midterm elections that was declassified last week didn't find any foreign leaders who ordered a 'comprehensive' influence campaign but found that nations, including China, look at interference as a valuable tactic.1
  • The report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) further states that Beijing 'tacitly approved efforts to try to influence” several midterm races involving members of both Democrats and Republicans depending on the candidate's attitudes on China policy.2
  • The report also said China was more willing to interfere in the 2022 election rather than in 2020 because it 'did not expect the current administration to retaliate as severely as they feared in 2020.' However, the explanation for that section of the report was not declassified and remains redacted in the public version.3
  • Russia and Iran, according to the report, also sought to meddle in the midterms, with Moscow targeting the entire election to 'undercut the Democratic Party and political support for Ukraine.' Iran’s efforts were probably smaller due to 'resource limitations.'4
  • Russia, according to the report, conducted 'extensive research and analysis of US audiences' to determine how best to reach certain demographics. Cuba is also believed to have meddled in elections in Florida.1
  • Foreign actors used social media accounts, proxy websites, payments to influencers, and public relations firms to execute these operations.2

Sources: 1The hill, 2NBC, 3New York Times and 4Wion.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. The US must expose what foreign actors are doing because it's in the interest of America's enemies — who stand in defiance of US values and democracy — to shape the minds of US voters. Russia's attempt to brainwash US voters might be successfully weakening US support for Ukraine, and China knows it helps to have some sympathetic members of Congress. Awareness of these programs can help the US government and citizens defend against them.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Global times. This report is nothing but a psychological operation by US intelligence agencies and politicians to sway public attention away from their failures as elected leaders ahead of the 2024 elections. US lawmakers have historically blamed either Russia or China for meddling in elections, but the only true revelations in this report relate to America's polarizing political divisions, which are really at fault for the nation's problems.

Predictions