Top 2 Democrats on Intel say they're preparing for Trump to claim foreign meddling
Top Democratic lawmakers on intelligence committees are preparing for the possibility that President Trump will allege foreign election interference to challenge midterm results. They are establishing communication protocols with intelligence officials to quickly debunk potential false claims.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing political tension regarding election integrity and the role of intelligence oversight in countering potential disinformation.
The top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees say they are operating under the presumption that President Trump and his allies will allege fraud related to this year's midterms in order to justify election interference.
"We start with the premise that the president is going to do that. It would be irresponsible not to, speaking as somebody who was in the chamber on January 6, 2021," said Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn. "We're making the assumption that the president is not going to accept the results of what looks to be a very challenging election for him and his party."
Speaking alongside Himes on Wednesday, Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that one way the president could do that: claiming foreign interference in the voting process.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in