Iran and Russia received data from American voters: what are they doing with them

Iran and Russia have received information about US voters and are trying to influence the public in connection with the upcoming US presidential elections, national security officials said. The details were shared by the edition CNBC.

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“Iran and Russia took specific actions to influence public opinion around the election,” said Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe.

“We were previously able to confirm that some voter registration information had been made available to Iran, and we recently received confirmation regarding Russia as well,” Ratcliffe said. “This data can be used to attempt to convey false information to registered voters that they hope will cause confusion, sow chaos and undermine your confidence in American democracy.”

Specifically, Ratcliffe said, Iran is sending "emails designed to intimidate voters, fuel social unrest, and damage US President Donald Trump."

“In addition, Iran is distributing other content, including videos that claim individuals can vote with fraudulent ballots even from abroad,” he said. “This video and any claims about such allegedly fraudulent ballots are untrue.”

He added that “these actions are desperate attempts by opponents to intimidate or attempt to undermine the confidence of voters. Know that our election systems are resilient, and you can rest assured that your votes are protected.”

“While we have not seen similar actions from Russia, we know that they also obtained some information about voters, as they did in 2016,” Ratcliffe said.

US officials have warned state and local governments that Iran has conducted a fraudulent campaign to send threats to Democratic voters by impersonating members of the far-right group, The Proud Boys.

The Domestic Security Officer also told state and local election administrators that problems were found on their election websites.

It looks like the emails were targeted at Democrats using information from digital voter databases.

The messages threatened recipients to “vote for Trump on Election Day or we will come after you.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he received information earlier in the afternoon about a security briefing. He questioned Ratcliffe's claim that Iranian emails influence people's attitudes toward Trump.

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“It was clear to me that the intent of Iran in this case and Russia in many other cases is to basically undermine confidence in our elections. “I do not believe this action is intended to discredit President Trump,” Schumer suggested.

FBI Director Christopher Ray said, "We are not going to tolerate foreign interference in our elections or any criminal activity that threatens the integrity of the vote or undermines public confidence in the election results."

“You have to make sure your voice matters,” Ray stressed. “Unverified claims to the contrary should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.”

A White House spokesman said the White House was briefed on the findings from the FBI and Ratcliffe's office.

“From the beginning of his administration, President Trump has directed law enforcement, defense and intelligence agencies to monitor and disrupt any attempts to interfere with our elections,” the official said. “This shows that our law enforcement efforts are working.”

The leaders of the Senate Special Committee on Intelligence issued a joint statement about "threats from attackers to the US electoral system and infrastructure."

Acting committee chairman Marco Rubio and deputy chairman Mark Warner said they "urge every American, including the media, to be wary of spreading unverified, sensational voting-related statements."

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