Russia, China and Iran Intend to Stoke False Election Claims, Officials Warn

Foreign efforts to undermine American democracy will continue after Election Day, U.S. intelligence officials said on Monday, with covert influence campaigns focused on questioning the validity of election results after polls close.

Adversaries believe that the possibility of a close presidential race and contested control of the Senate and House of Representatives offer opportunities to undermine trust in the election’s integrity, the officials said as part of an update one month before the vote.

The officials said they were worried about foreign adversaries amplifying domestic concerns about voting irregularities, as well as manufacturing their own allegations. After the 2020 vote, Donald J. Trump’s campaign made false allegations about voting irregularities, and he and his supporters have already advanced similar claims ahead of this year’s vote, many of them echoed by Russian state media or Kremlin-friendly organizations.

The intelligence community “expects foreign influence actors to continue their campaigns by calling into question the validity of the election’s results after the polls close,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence wrote in an update on election threats. “They will likely take advantage of such an opportunity to use similar tactics in a post-election period to undermine trust in the integrity of the election, election processes and further exacerbate divisions among Americans.”

Russia and Iran are focused on the presidential vote, though on opposite sides, with the Russians favoring Mr. Trump and the Iranians favoring Vice President Kamala Harris.

The officials said that a wider variety of countries were also trying to sway congressional races, including Russia, Cuba and China. The officials said China had already interfered in “tens” of races but did not favor either party. Instead, China’s efforts focused on undermining candidates who have been particularly vocal in their support of Taiwan.