US President Donald Trump has raised fresh concerns over the integrity of past elections after announcing the release of previously classified documents linked to the 2020 and 2018 elections. Trump, during an address to the nation and aired via the White House’ Youtube handle, on Thursday, claimed the documents exposed……
US President Donald Trump has raised fresh concerns over the integrity of past elections after announcing the release of previously classified documents linked to the 2020 and 2018 elections.
Trump, during an address to the nation and aired via the White House’ Youtube handle, on Thursday, claimed the documents exposed vulnerabilities in the US electoral system and alleged that intelligence agencies concealed information about China’s attempts to interfere in American elections.
The president said the released files showed that China allegedly compromised voter data during the 2020 election cycle, describing it as the largest election data breach in history.
“Newly declassified documents show that over a period of years starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history — resulting in China’s illicit acquisition of 220 million US voter files,” Trump said.
He added that the information obtained allegedly included “names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences, and other sensitive data that would be needed to register to vote, and engage in other nefarious activities.”
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“This data loss presents an unprecedented election security nightmare. The intelligence even shows that China assigned a data exploitation unit specifically to this new project,” Trump said.
Trump further claimed that US intelligence agencies became aware of the alleged compromise in 2020 but failed to disclose the information to him while he was president or to Congress.
“US spy agencies began learning about the compromise of voter registration files in 2020, when they discovered that tens of millions of voters’ data in 18 states had been bought, stolen, or hacked by China,” he said.
“Yet those responsible for sounding the alarm instead kept the information hidden. They did not disclose it to me as president, and to the best of our knowledge, they did not inform Congress. In fact, all they kept saying is, ‘This is the most secure election in the history of our country.’”
The president also cited CIA reporting contained in the released documents, alleging that China sought to influence US elections.
“As the documents we are releasing show, CIA reporting explicitly stated, ‘In mid-2018, the Chinese Communist Party’s policy was to leverage all domestic and foreign elements that were opposed to the US President in an effort to reduce the U.S. President’s votes and make him resign or prevent his re-election,’” Trump said.
He added that the documents indicated China was also working to influence the outcome of the 2018 midterm elections and the 2020 presidential election.
Trump called on the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency to investigate how the alleged information was withheld.
“Today, I am asking the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the CIA to investigate how and why such crucial information was hidden, to fire those involved in the coverup, and to file criminal charges, if appropriate, against them,” he said.
The president also referred to what he described as the discovery of “burn bags” containing information previously given by former President Barack Obama for destruction.
“Recently, we found significant numbers of burn bags, information given by President Barack Hussein Obama to be burned. These bags were supposed to be incinerated, but it never happened,” Trump said.
“We believe this was not done purposely, but rather through incompetence. But the findings are stunning.”
Trump also announced the release of findings from a Department of Homeland Security investigation into voter registration records, claiming the review identified non-citizens registered to vote in federal elections.
“To reveal just how vulnerable our elections continue to be, we are releasing the results of a stunning investigation by homeland security — which conducted a review of state voter rolls and public records and identified approximately 278,000 non-citizens who are registered to vote in federal elections,” he said.
He alleged that the actual number could be higher, claiming some states had refused to share voter files.
“Since Democrat states refuse to share their voter files, the real number is actually much higher than that — yet even this limited analysis found more than 250,000 foreigners illegally registered to vote,” Trump said.
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The president said alleged weaknesses in the electoral system had damaged public confidence.
“Great damage has been done to our country—our elections were left vulnerable to being rigged and stolen, and the trust of the American People was lost. This cannot be allowed to continue,” he said.
Trump called for bipartisan support for election reforms, saying secure elections should not be a political issue.
“Every American, whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, Independent, or otherwise, should be able to agree that we deserve the most secure, honest, and fair election system anywhere in the world. Secure elections should not be a partisan issue,” he said.
During the address, Trump also criticised some media organisations over their coverage of the speech, alleging they were unwilling to report on the issues he raised.
“In a rare move, NBC and ABC Fake News have both said that they would not cover this speech… because of the fact that they don’t like the topic, because they know how corrupt our system is and they don’t want to reveal it,” Trump said.
He added: “They and others in the media are part of the plot. They want to continue this fraud for whatever reason. They want to keep it going. They want to protect the Radical Left.”
Trump also called for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which he said would address vulnerabilities in the election system.
“Addressing this crisis of election security demands that Congress MUST pass the SAVE America Act. The only reason you wouldn’t want to do it is that you want to cheat,” he said.
According to Trump, the proposed legislation would require voters to provide identification and proof of citizenship before participating in elections.
“This landmark bill requires that all voters must show proof of voter ID, all voters must provide proof of citizenship, and hopefully there will be NO corrupt mail-in ballots except for illness, disability, military deployment, or travel,” he said.
Trump urged Americans to contact their representatives and senators to support the legislation.
“To all Americans, I ask you to pick up the phone tomorrow, call your representatives in the House and Senate, and demand they PASS THE SAVE AMERICA ACT without delay,” he said.
