National security experts warned about threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party after President Donald Trump’s White House released declassified intelligence records concerning alleged Chinese influence operations and vulnerabilities in the United States election system.
Trump delivered a nearly 26-minute primetime address from the White House on Thursday, presenting several categories of declassified documents that he said detailed Chinese efforts to influence American elections, the acquisition of American voter data, vulnerabilities in electronic voting infrastructure, an allegedly mishandled Michigan voter-registration investigation, and a Department of Homeland Security review that identified hundreds of thousands of noncitizens registered to vote in federal elections.
Michael Lucci, CEO and founder of State Armor, told Breitbart News, “China’s efforts to influence the 2020 election are another reminder that the Chinese Communist Party is pursuing a broad strategy to infiltrate American society, not just our politics, but our critical infrastructure, universities, technology, supply chains, and state institutions. They even used financial leverage to turn American journalists and businesses against the President. As I’ve testified before Congress, the CCP exploits vulnerabilities across our federal system to collect intelligence, shape decision-making, and position itself to undermine U.S. security and resilience. We must be laser-focused on fighting back by securing our elections, protecting our critical infrastructure and data, and empowering every level of government to defend the American way of life.”
Mike Martin, a former senior national security official and National Security Council spokesman during the first Trump administration said to Breitbart News, “Last night, the President reminded the American people why protecting the integrity of our elections must remain a national priority. President Trump and Director Ratcliffe deserve tremendous credit for bringing this intelligence to light and refusing to let these threats stay hidden from the American people. Communist China remains one of the greatest threats to our nation’s security, prosperity, and way of life. We must never allow the Chinese Communist Party, or any foreign government, to influence our elections, undermine our sovereignty, or dictate how Americans live.”
Cale Brown, chairman of Polaris National Security and a former principal deputy spokesperson at the Department of State during the first Trump administration, remarked to Breitbart News, “President Trump’s leadership was vital in shaping the current bipartisan consensus about the threats posed by the CCP. While he’s sought to maintain an amicable relationship with Xi Jinping, he’s not shied away from telling the truth, as he did with the origins of Covid, and now with the declassified intelligence surrounding China’s designs on our electoral process. Last night’s revelations should galvanize our resolve to combat the many ways in which the CCP seeks to undermine America’s strength. Failure to act, complacency on our part, works to serve Beijing’s interests and against those of the free world.”
Trump said his administration was notifying states whose election data had been compromised and would work with state and local jurisdictions to address technical vulnerabilities before the November midterms. A declassified White House document said China had compromised more than 200 million voter records and that voter rolls in at least 18 states had been compromised, publicly identifying 15 states and the District of Columbia. Trump also said a Department of Homeland Security review identified approximately 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote in federal elections.
A separate declassified CIA note alleged that China sought in 2019 to use contracts with major American companies to influence business leaders against Trump and to pay American journalists to publish additional negative stories about him before the 2020 election. Other records alleged that Beijing sought to reduce Trump’s support, prevent his reelection, and acquire American voter data. The records also identified vulnerabilities in election infrastructure that foreign adversaries could potentially exploit. Trump separately alleged that members of the U.S. intelligence apparatus suppressed or downplayed reporting about China’s activities and excluded relevant intelligence from his presidential briefings. The documents did not establish that China successfully altered an American election result, and China denied the allegations, with its embassy and Foreign Ministry maintaining that Beijing had never interfered in U.S. presidential elections and accusing Washington of vilifying China.
Lucci’s remarks follow two recent State Armor efforts concerning alleged foreign influence over American institutions. A July 2 report accused the Environmental Law Institute of maintaining longstanding relationships with Chinese government-linked entities while supporting initiatives that State Armor said weakened American energy production, and it called for congressional investigations into the organization’s partnerships, funding, information sharing, and judicial-education programs. On July 14, Lucci also urged congressional committees to investigate if China and other foreign interests were amplifying opposition to American data centers, citing reports of foreign funding, Chinese propaganda outlets and influence networks, organizations associated with Neville Roy Singham, and a People’s Republic of China-linked online influence operation opposing U.S. data-center construction.