Newly reviewed intelligence memos reportedly show allegations that U.S. intelligence officials downplayed or concealed evidence of Chinese election interference during the 2020 presidential race.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Tulsi Gabbard has initiated an investigation into allegations that members of the U.S. intelligence community concealed evidence of foreign election interference in 2020, including claims that intelligence officials downplayed Chinese activities and withheld concerns from President Donald Trump and Congress.
According to a report by Just the News, newly reviewed unclassified memos indicate Gabbard’s office uncovered allegations involving suppressed intelligence assessments, whistleblower complaints, and possible politicization inside federal intelligence agencies during the 2020 election cycle.
The memos reportedly originated from a review conducted last year by Gabbard’s now-disbanded Director’s Initiative Group and were recently referred to Intelligence Community Inspector General Christopher Fox for further investigation.
The allegations include claims that intelligence officers were pressured to minimize or omit information concerning Chinese election interference, vulnerabilities in state voter registration systems, and concerns tied to Venezuela-linked election infrastructure.
According to the report, the National Intelligence Council concluded in 2020 that Chinese actors had accessed or penetrated voter registration databases in multiple states.
The newly reviewed memos reportedly indicate China may have gained access to voter registration systems in between 12 and 18 states during the 2020 election cycle — a broader infiltration than previously acknowledged publicly.
The allegations also center on claims that intelligence officials intentionally withheld information from the President’s Daily Brief and congressional oversight committees.
The documents reportedly contain whistleblower claims from former National Intelligence Officer for Cyber Christopher Porter, who allegedly attempted to raise concerns about Chinese election activities before facing retaliation during the Biden administration.
According to Just the News, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence possesses allegations from intelligence officers claiming that evidence of Chinese interference efforts was either minimized or excluded entirely from final analytic assessments.
The memos reportedly state that some intelligence officials feared acknowledging Chinese election activities could assist Trump politically or support his administration’s policies toward China.
One email allegedly reviewed by ODNI claimed intelligence agencies planned to alter presidential briefing documents to avoid referencing election interference concerns despite underlying intelligence reports discussing the issue.
Other communications reportedly suggest some CIA officials attempted to pressure analysts to modify official records involving discussions about Chinese election influence efforts.
The documents also reportedly describe concerns involving congressional briefings on election interference and alleged efforts to suppress intelligence tied to Venezuela-related election infrastructure vulnerabilities.
A previously classified January 15, 2020 memo obtained by Just the News reportedly warned that foreign adversaries including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea possessed the capability to compromise U.S. election infrastructure.
“We judge that U.S. adversaries, including, at a minimum, Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, as well as non-state groups, have the capability to compromise U.S. election infrastructure for the 2020 presidential election,” the memo reportedly stated.
According to the report, senior officials from the CIA, FBI, Homeland Security, and National Intelligence Council personally briefed Trump at the White House in February 2020 regarding election security concerns.
The public, however, was reportedly never fully informed after intelligence later indicated Chinese actors had accessed voter registration data in several states.
The controversy revives long-running disputes inside the intelligence community over differing treatment of Russian and Chinese election interference claims.
In a March 2021 intelligence assessment, agencies unanimously agreed Russia sought to influence the 2020 election against then-candidate Joe Biden while Iran attempted to undermine Trump’s candidacy.
The intelligence community did not reach consensus regarding China’s actions, however.
Then-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe publicly argued in January 2021 that intelligence assessments failed to accurately represent the scope of Chinese election influence efforts.
Ratcliffe warned at the time that analysts faced “undue pressure” and that intelligence regarding China was being handled differently from intelligence concerning Russia.
“Similar actions by Russia and China are assessed and communicated to policymakers differently, potentially leading to the false impression that Russia sought to influence the election, but China did not,” Ratcliffe wrote.
The memos also reportedly revisit controversy surrounding a raw intelligence report alleging the Chinese government sought to manufacture fraudulent U.S. driver’s licenses in an effort to facilitate illegal mail-in voting for Biden in 2020.
According to prior reporting, the FBI later recalled the intelligence bulletin and instructed agencies to delete the information before it underwent full investigation.
The allegations were further examined in a January 2021 report by intelligence ombudsman Barry Zulauf, who concluded some analysts appeared reluctant to elevate intelligence involving China because they opposed Trump administration policies.
“The analysts appeared reluctant to have their analysis on China brought forward because they tend to disagree with the administration’s policies,” Zulauf wrote.
Just the News previously reported that some analysts allegedly referred privately to Trump as “that vulgarian in the Oval Office” while resisting publication of intelligence concerning China.
The ongoing inspector general review could eventually lead to additional declassifications involving the handling of foreign election interference intelligence during the 2020 election cycle.
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