Facing widespread criticism, officials raise alarm about U.S. election security
WASHINGTON — Responding to wide-ranging criticism that it lacked a clear national strategy to protect U.S. elections, the White House said Thursday that President Donald Trump has directed a“vast, government wide effort” to protect the cornerstone of American democracy.
John Bolton, the national security adviser, also wrote in a letter to Senate Democrats that “President Trump has not and will not tolerate interference in America’s system of representative government.”
The warning to American adversaries came as top U.S. intelligence and homeland security officials made ar are appearance in the White House briefing room Thursday to raise alarms about potential efforts to influence the 2018 and 2020 elections. Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen said: “Our democracy is inthe crosshairs.”
“We continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to try to weaken anddivide the United States,” Director of National IntelligenceDan Coats said.
Their comments during a White House briefing came after Mr. Trump was seen as having publicly undermined the conclusions of American intelligence agencies regarding Russian interference. After suffering a bipartisan outcry, Mr. Trump later said he accepted those conclusions.
They, along with National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone and FBI Director Christopher Wray, appeared together at the White House on Thursday to try to reassure the American people they are doing everything in their power to address the threat.
“We’re throwing everythingat it,” Mr. Coats said.
Thursday’s press conference was the first time that the heads of the intelligence and law enforcement agencies with a role in preventing electioninterference have appeared together to address the threat. It follows a meeting last week of the National Security Council on election security, the first Mr. Trump has led on the matter, which lasted less than an hour and produced no new orders on how to counter or deter the interference.
Gen. Nakasone, who is also the commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, said the command and the NSA are both tracking a wide range of foreign cyber adversaries and “are prepared to conduct operations against those actors attempting to undermine our nation’s midtermelections.”
Gen. Nakasone did not divulge details of the U.S. cyber playbook or say what U.S. responses might have already taken place, saying the operations are sensitive and require confidentiality to achieve success. “I won’t discuss the specifics, except to state that our forces are welltrained, ready and very capable,” he said.
At one of his confirmation hearings in March, Gen. Nakasone said his role was to provide a series of cyber options that might be used as a deterrent to Russian meddling, but he told Congress then that cyber or military options might not be the most effective. “In fact, it may be less effective than other options that might be considered,” he said.
Asked specifically if he had been ordered or authorized to conduct any offensive cyber operations in response to foreign meddling in the U.S., Gen. Nakasone offered a vague response. “So my guidance and the direction from the present secretary of defense is very clear, we’re not going to accept meddling in the elections. And it’s very unambiguous.”