US President Donald Trump has accused China of conducting a large-scale campaign to interfere in American elections, alleging it obtained millions of voter records and sought to undermine his presidency….reports Asian Lite News Desk
US President Donald Trump has accused China of carrying out an extensive campaign to interfere in American elections, alleging that Beijing obtained millions of US voter records, attempted to influence election outcomes and concealed its activities through what he described as a cover-up within the US intelligence community.
Speaking in a nationally televised address from the White House, Trump announced the immediate declassification of intelligence records related to election security, saying the documents revealed what he described as “shocking vulnerabilities” in the country’s election infrastructure and detailed years of alleged Chinese efforts to influence US politics.
“The People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history, resulting in China’s illicit acquisition of 220 million US voter files,” Trump said.
He claimed the records showed the data included names, addresses, telephone numbers, political party preferences and other personal information that could be used “to register to vote and engage in other nefarious activities.”
According to Trump, US intelligence agencies became aware in 2020 that “tens of millions” of voter records across 18 states had been “bought, stolen or hacked by China” but failed to disclose the information to him during his presidency or to Congress.
“They did not disclose to me as President or to anyone else and, to the best of our knowledge, they did not inform Congress,” he said.
The President also referred to what he described as newly declassified CIA reporting alleging that Beijing sought to influence both the 2018 US midterm elections and the 2020 presidential election.
According to Trump, one intelligence report stated that “the Chinese Communist Party’s policy was to leverage all domestic and foreign elements that were opposed to the US President in an effort to reduce the US President’s votes and make him resign or prevent his re-election.”
He also claimed another intelligence assessment concluded that China’s strategy was aimed at “undermining domestic confidence in the US President.”
Trump alleged that the intelligence records indicated Beijing attempted to use contacts with major American companies to persuade business leaders to oppose his administration.
He further claimed the documents stated that the Chinese government sought to identify US journalists who had written critically about him and pay them to produce additional negative reports.
“The Chinese government wanted US President to lose the next election,” Trump said, arguing that Beijing opposed his administration’s tariffs on Chinese imports and its national security policies.
Trump also alleged that raw FBI intelligence from 2020 indicated Chinese activities included “an attempt to manufacture illegal ballots for Joe Biden.”
He further claimed that dozens of CIA and National Security Agency reports concerning China’s alleged election-related activities were omitted from his daily intelligence briefings.
According to Trump, one internal intelligence email acknowledged that officials had “deliberately massaged the Presidential Daily Briefing to withhold information regarding Chinese activities related to the election.”
The President said he had directed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Justice, the FBI and the CIA to investigate why the information was allegedly withheld and determine whether criminal charges were warranted against those involved.
Trump said the declassified records would be published on the White House website. He added that the purpose of releasing the material was “not to weaken confidence in election, but to earn that confidence by confronting vulnerabilities and correcting them very, very quickly.”
The speech outlined a series of allegations made by the President regarding China’s alleged election activities and the handling of related intelligence by US agencies. The claims were presented as part of the declassification announcement.
