Top U.S. Intelligence officials warned Washington, D.C. lawmakers that foreign attempts to influence the November elections are expected to be far more than what was seen in 2016.

Avril Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence, told the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday afternoon that China and Russia are the biggest concerns for the security of the elections six months before the big day.

Haines stated that the most significant foreign actors engaging in foreign influence activities directed at the United States with respect to our election are Russia, Iran, and the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Haines stated that “Russia remains the most active threat to our election,” adding that the Russian government’s influence operations include “eroding the trust in U.S. democracy institutions, exacerbating social-political divides in the United States and degrading Western assistance to Ukraine.”

Dems Open Massive Ad Gap Democrats are massively outspending conservatives in key Senate races. Elites from Wall Street, Hollywood, and DC are pouring millions into ads. Stand with Senate Conservatives Fund and help close the gap for Kari Lake, Sam Brown, and others, to secure America’s future. 1776 Coalition Sponsored

Jen Easterly, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Agency, said that her agency is the best prepared to deal with anticipated attacks in the months ahead as the campaign season peaks at the state and federal level.

Easterly added that threats are “more complex” than ever.

Artificial intelligence is a concern for officials, as it can be used to alter videos, images and audio in order to create a message using any voice or image.

Haines says that AI will be increasingly used in social media content by non-state actors and foreign actors.

Haines said that AI tools have enabled audio and video manipulations that were previously impossible. “These tools are improving every week and month,” Haines stated.

Haines said that protecting the democratic process in the United States during elections was “absolute” priority for the intelligence community, and it had never been “better prepared.”

Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the committee, has said that he is yet to see a clear, detailed plan of how the government plans to alert the public to disinformation spreading online.

Mark Warner, Senate Intelligence Chair (D-VA), said that part of the issue was the growing distrust of government. This could make any warning from the government look like political sabotage.

Warner stated that “we’ve seen an increasing number of Americans of all political stripes who do not trust U.S. Institutions, from federal agencies to local law enforcement, mainstream media institutions and mainstream media institutions. This is coupled with a growing reliance on internet platforms which are easily manipulated.”