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Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
FBI Director Chris Wray insisted the United States would impose costs on any foreign country that interferes in the 2020 U.S. elections. (File photo)
Iran is responsible for the emails intended to intimidate American voters and sow unrest in several states, US officials said, calling out Tehran and Russia for activities intended to interfere in the upcoming presidential elections.
The announcement Wednesday night (local time) at a rare press conference just two weeks before the US elections underscored concern within the US government over efforts by foreign countries to spread false information aimed at stifling voter turnout. and undermine American confidence in voting.
“These actions are desperate attempts by desperate adversaries,” said John Ratcliffe, the top intelligence official for the US government, who, along with FBI Director Chris Wray, insisted that the United States would impose costs on any foreign country that interferes. in the 2020 U.S. elections.
Both countries have also obtained information on voter registration, although this data is considered easily accessible. Despite the actions of Iran and Russia, officials said Americans can be confident that their vote will be counted.
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While Russian state-backed hackers have been known to infiltrate the American electoral infrastructure in 2016, there is no evidence that Iran ever did. Cybersecurity experts consider him a second-rate player in online espionage.
Andrew Harnik / AP
The top US government intelligence official, John Ratcliffe, says the election interference was “desperate attempts by desperate adversaries.”
The press conference was held when Democratic voters in at least four battle states, including Florida and Pennsylvania, received threatening emails, purporting to be from the far-right group Proud Boys, warning “we will go after you” if Recipients did not vote for President Donald Trump.
The voter intimidation operation apparently used email addresses obtained from state voter registration lists, which include party affiliation and home addresses and may include email addresses and phone numbers. Those addresses were then used in a seemingly widespread targeted spam operation. Senders stated that they would know which candidate the recipient was voting for in the November 3 (November 4, NZT) elections, for which early voting is ongoing.
Federal officials have long warned about the possibility of this type of operation, as such registration lists are not difficult to obtain.
“These emails are intended to intimidate and undermine the confidence of American voters in our elections,” Christopher Krebs, the top election security official for the Department of Homeland Security, tweeted Tuesday night after the email reports.
