In a recent interview with Time Magazine, President Joe Biden indicated that there is evidence of China meddling in US elections.
This assertion comes after former President Donald Trump, then-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, and Attorney General Bill Barr claimed that China had attempted to boost Biden's chances in the 2020 election. However, the intelligence community later refuted these claims, stating that China had no preference for the 2020 election outcome.
During the interview, when asked about China's potential interference in the election, Biden responded, "There, there, there, there is evidence that meddling is going on." He refrained from providing further details, citing intelligence reasons.
The President also suggested that China might have an interest in meddling, stating, "Everybody, all the bad guys are rooting for Trump, man. Not a joke. Think about it." He further referenced a statement by French President Emanuel Macron, who in 2019 criticized the lack of US leadership under Trump, calling it the "brain death of NATO."
Trump had previously demanded that NATO nations in Europe contribute more to their own defense, a move that was met with resistance but ultimately led to increased contributions from many European leaders.
The issue of foreign interference in US elections is not new. In the run-up to the 2016 election, then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton accused Trump of colluding with Russia to influence the election outcome. These allegations, which were reported as fact by several publications, were later proven to be false. Clinton's campaign was subsequently fined $8,000 for falsifying business records related to payments made to an opposition research firm.
In April, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a warning about Beijing's growing global covert influence, aimed at undermining democracy and extending China's influence.
Despite these warnings, a report from the National Intelligence Council stated, "We assess that China did not deploy interference efforts and considered but did not deploy influence efforts intended to change the outcome of the US Presidential election. We have high confidence in this judgment."
The report further suggested that China did not view either election outcome as advantageous enough to risk getting caught meddling. However, some argue that China has been successful in sowing distrust in American institutions, particularly those led by Democrats.
In response to these concerns, Facebook has removed numerous accounts believed to be operated from China and supporting Trump's bid for a second term. The Council on Foreign Relations suggests that Beijing's goal may simply be to weaken American democracy by inflaming political divisions.
In a phone conversation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in April, Biden urged China to refrain from interfering in the American election. Xi had previously pledged during a visit to San Francisco that China would not meddle in US elections.
As the 2024 election approaches, the specter of foreign interference continues to loom, with the incumbent President acknowledging evidence of meddling. The challenge for the intelligence community and the administration will be to ensure the integrity of the electoral process while navigating the complex geopolitical landscape.
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