Top intel officials warn of foreign election interference in 2024 race

WASHINGTON (TND) — The candidates for our election may have changed, but the goal of foreign actors to disrupt the Democratic process has not.

A brand new report from the Director of National Intelligence warns of “a range of foreign actors conducting or planning influence operations targeting U.S. elections this November."

Top officials said they use more advanced technology, like artificial intelligence, to assist.

At a May 15 Senate Intelligence Hearing,Director Avril Haines said, "Innovations in AI have enabled foreign influence actors to produce seemingly authentic and tailored messaging more efficiently, at greater scale, and with content adapted for different languages and cultures."

According to the report, Iran is now involved, working to fuel distrust in U.S. political institutions and increase tensions, especially over the Israel-Gaza conflict.

China has been found to be using social media to sow divisions and portray democracies as chaotic, and may work to denigrate down-ballot candidates seen to threaten China’s interests

But once again, the top threat comes from Russia, seeking to undermine faith in the electoral process and back a Presidential candidate, though when asked at a recentHouse Judiciary Committee hearing, FBI Director Christopher Wray would not say which one.

He did say this: “We assess that the Russian government continues to want to influence, uh and in various ways, interfere with our Democracy."

Those foreign influencers have now started using PR and marketing firms to add credibility and expand their reach. They are also increasingly successful at getting "unwitting Americans" to share their content from users who think it’s coming from fellow U.S. citizens.

"There's a classic term for an unwitting agent of influence. It’s called a useful idiot," said Max Lesser, in an interview with The National Desk Tuesday. He's a senior analyst on emerging threats at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

There’s no better mouthpiece for a message that’s coming from Russia or China or Iran than an American who can communicate that message in a way that resonates with Americans," Lesser added.

But the ODNI also warned some Americans are willingly helping, with political groups in Florida, Georgia and California, found to be paid by the Kremlin to spread Russian propaganda and interfere with U.S. elections.