US Midterms: No ‘Specific’ Threat but Concerns Remain

Facts

  • Jen Easterly, the director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), told CBS on Sunday that there are no “specific or credible” threats to disrupt election infrastructure in November’s midterms, but there are concerns regarding "threats of harassment, intimidation and violence against election officials, polling places and voters.”
  • She said that the CISA is also concerned with cyber threats, insider and physical threats, and disinformation. She said that election officials have been alerted to protect voting systems and be aware of political violence amid a "very complex threat environment."
  • However, she affirmed, "I have confidence in the elections that are going to be run because of the massive amount of work that's been done across the federal government, at state and local election officials with election vendors to put multiple, multiple layers of resilience and security controls in place."
  • Though there have been concerns of election interference stemming from Russia and China, Easterly expressed confidence that such threats are being addressed.
  • Easterly’s comments follow the DHS and other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, issuing an intelligence bulletin on Friday warning that political candidates, election officials, and the public face a heightened risk of violence.
  • Her statement also comes as Paul Pelosi, the husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked by an intruder during a break-in at the couple's home in San Francisco on Friday.

Sources: CNN, Reuters, Axios, and FOX News.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by CNN. Trump's false election fraud claims regarding the 2020 election have directly caused a new era of radicalization, in which millions of Americans wrongly believe that their country is swarmed with election fraud. Trump's disregard for American democracy has created fertile ground for foreign adversaries to plant misinformation and sow division among the public. The CISA must do more to tackle disinformation.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Breitbart. Though the left loves to pontificate about misinformation, it's only creating echo chambers by purging social media sites of conservative voices. For instance, earlier this month, Facebook shut down over 800 accounts and pages accused of spreading “misinformation” — including many legitimate conservative pages, some with millions of followers. Conservatives are being silenced simply for holding views that go against the mainstream left.