Transcripts For CSPAN FBI News Conference On Election Security 20240712

Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and fbi director Christopher Wray held a News Conference wednesday evening on Election Security. Director ratcliffe said Voter Registration information has been obtained by iran and russia in an attempt to push misinformation. Here is the briefing. Good evening. The president has instructed the intelligence and lawenforcement communities to ensure that the 2020 elections are the safest and most secure in our nations history. We take that mandate and responsibility seriously. There is nothing more sacred in our republic than the fundamental democratic principle of one person, one vote. It is our duty to ensure the sanctity of u. S. Elections. That includes ensuring the security of voting systems. The Intelligence Communitys role is to assess the intentions, capabilities, and actions of foreign adversaries. Our duty also includes empowering the American People to understand information or perhaps, more accurately, disinformation that they are seeing, particularly in the internet, and make informed decisions for themselves. With that in mind, we would like to alert the public that we have identified that two foreign actors, iran and russia, have taken specific actions to influence Public Opinion relating to our elections. First, we have confirmed that some Voter Registration information has been obtained by iran, and separately, by russia. This data can be used by foreign actors to attempt to communicate false information to registered voters that they hope will cause confusion, sow chaos, and undermine your confidence in american democracy. To that end, we have already seen iran sending spoofed emails designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest, and damage president trump. You may have seen some reporting on this in the last 24 hours, or you may have been one of the recipients of the emails. Additionally, iran is distributing other content to include a video that implies that individuals could cast fraudulent ballots, even from overseas. This video and any claims about such allegedly fraudulent ballots are not true. These actions are desperate attempts by desperate adversaries. Even if the adversaries pursue further attempts to want to further attempts to intimidate or undermine voter confidence, know that our election systems are resilient. And you can be confident your votes are secure. Although we have not seen the same actions from russia, we are aware that they have obtained some voter information, just as they did in 2016. Rest assured that we are prepared for the possibility of actions by those hostile to democracy. The great women and men of the Intelligence Community caught this activity immediately, and our colleagues at the fbi and dhs acted swiftly in response to this threat. We are standing before you now to give you the confidence that we are on top of this and providing you with the most powerful weapon we have to combat these efforts. The truth. Information. We ask every american to do their part to defend against those who wish us harm. The way you do that is quite simple. Do not allow these efforts to have their intended effect. If you receive an intimidating or manipulative email in your inbox, do not be alarmed and do not spread it. This is not a partisan issue. I have had conversations today with members of congress from both sides of the aisle. And there is complete unanimity in the u. S. Government in our resolve to combat the enemies of freedom. The president has instructed me to keep the public informed as appropriate, and you have my commitment that i will continue to do exactly that with transparency and with candor. We will not tolerate foreign interference in our elections. We will continue to work with our many partners to disrupt and to impose costs and consequences on any adversary that attempts to interfere in our democratic process. Processes. The efforts of the president to empower us to put towards Election Security over these last four years are working. I will now turn it over to my colleague, director wray of the fbi to address law enforcements activities. Director wray thanks, john. The fbi is the primary Agency Responsible for investigating malicious cyber activity against election infrastructure, malign foreign influence operations and election related crimes like voter fraud and Voter Suppression or intimidation, and that is exactly what we have been doing. At the fbi, we are working closely with our Intelligence Community partners as well as our other federal, state and local partners to share information, bolster security, and identify and disrupt any threats. We are not going to tolerate foreign interference in our elections or any criminal activity that threatens the sanctity of your vote or undermines Public Confidence in the outcome of the election. When we see indications of foreign interference or federal election crimes, we are going to aggressively investigate and work with our partners to quickly take appropriate action. We are also coordinating with the private sector. Both technology and social media companies, to make sure that their platforms are not used by foreign adversaries to spread misinformation and propaganda. Disinformation and propaganda. We have been working for years as a community to build resilience in our election infrastructure and today, that infrastructure remains resilient. You should be confident that your vote counts. Early, unverified claims to the contrary should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism. We encourage everyone to seek election and voting information from reliable sources, namely your state election officials, and to be thoughtful, careful and discerning consumers of information online. And if you suspect criminal activity, we ask you report that information to your local fbi field office. As always, the men and women of the fbi remain committed to protecting the American People, our democracy, and the integrity of our elections. We are not going to let our guard down. Thank you. Cspans washington journal. We will discuss policy issues that impact you. Coming up this morning, Tax Foundation president scott hodge on the president ial candidates tax plans. Pennsylvania democratic senator bob casey examines the Upcoming Senate vote on judge Amy Coney Barretts confirmation to the Supreme Court. Watches cspans washington journal live at 7 00 eastern this morning. Be sure to watch washington journal saturday morning as we hosted the two leading thirdparty candidates for president , Howie Hawkins and jo jordgensen. Coming up live on thursday at 9 00 a. M. On cspan, the Senate Judiciary Committee Votes on whether to send the Supreme Court nomination of judge Amy Coney Barrett to the full senate for consideration. Democrats have announced they will boycott the meeting. At 9 00 p. M. Eastern, the second of final president ial debate from elmont university in nashville, tennessee. Speaker nancyuse pelosi holds her briefing. The Senate Returns at noon. At 1 00 p. M. , members vote on the nomination of Michael Newman to be a u. S. District court judge in ohio. You are watching cspan, your unfiltered view of government, created by americas Cable Television company as a Public Service and brought to you today by your television provider. Former presidenra