Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) addresses her weekly press conference with Capitol Hill reporters on the U.S. Capitol.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
Democratic congressional leaders warn that Congress is being targeted by a foreign interference campaign aimed at disrupting the November presidential election.
The top two Democrats in Congress and leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees issued a letter Monday to FBI Director Christopher Wray saying they are “gravely concerned” that Congress “appears to be the target of a concerted foreign interference campaign.
They wrote that the campaign “seeks to launder and amplify disinformation to influence the activity of Congress, public debate, and the November presidential elections.”
The short letter, which is marked as unclassified, was sent on July 13 but was not available to the public before Monday. The markings on the letter suggest that it was accompanied by a classified attachment.
A congressional official, who declined to be named, said the attachment is largely based on reports and analysis by the executive branch.
The letter was signed by Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., Chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, from California, and Senator Mark Warner, vice president of the Senate. Intelligence Committee.
Democrats cited the “seriousness and specificity” of the threats and called for defensive information to be provided to all members of Congress as quickly as possible. They asked Wray to outline a plan for the briefing for Monday.
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Investigations by the US intelligence community and Congress have determined that Russia interfered in the 2016 election with the intention of benefiting President Donald Trump.
Former special counsel Robert Mueller, who was tasked with investigating Russian interference, found no conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but found that the Trump campaign hoped to benefit from the country’s actions.
Alleged Democratic candidate Joe Biden said earlier this month that he had started receiving intelligence reports and warned that Russia and China were trying to meddle in the race.
Earlier this year, US officials warned Senator Bernie Sanders that Russia was seeking to bolster its candidacy for the Democratic nomination.
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