WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Friday alleged that China obtained 220 million U.S. voter records during the 2020 election cycle, calling it the “largest compromise of election data in history.”
In a televised address, Trump announced the declassification of intelligence that he said revealed extensive foreign efforts to influence U.S. elections and exposed vulnerabilities in the country’s election infrastructure.
Citing a CIA assessment, Trump said the Chinese government sought to undermine his 2020 reelection campaign by leveraging domestic and foreign actors opposed to him. He also claimed that intelligence reports detailing China’s alleged election-related activities were withheld from his presidential briefings.
Trump further alleged that Beijing attempted to identify U.S. journalists who had reported critically on him and pay them to continue doing so.
He said the declassified material showed that U.S. adversaries, including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and non-state groups, possess the capability to compromise U.S. election infrastructure.
Trump also claimed that hundreds of millions of U.S. voter records are in the possession of foreign governments and argued that voter rolls include non-citizens and deceased individuals, while criticizing the absence of a nationwide voter identification or proof-of-citizenship requirement.
He said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is scheduled to brief the public on a recently confirmed cyber vulnerabilities in electronic voting systems and that state and federal officials are being notified of potential issues.
Trump urged Congress to pass the Save America Act, legislation he supports that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to vote.
Source: Saudi Gazette