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FBI Director Confirms Russia Is Currently Meddling In The 2020 Election

FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed to Congress on Thursday that Russia is engaging in “very active efforts” to influence the 2020 U.S. election and to “denigrate” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, echoing previous warnings by the intelligence community.

The FBI chief testified before the House Homeland Security Committee during its annual hearing on worldwide threats, addressing election interference and domestic terror in the U.S.

“We certainly have seen very active, very active efforts by the Russians to influence our election in 2020 through what I would call more the maligned foreign influence side of things ― social media, use of proxies, state media, online journals, etc. ― in an effort to both sow divisiveness and discord and ... primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden and what the Russians see as kind of an anti-Russian establishment,” he said.

Wray added that the FBI has not yet seen evidence of Russia targeting election infrastructure, or “cybertargeting,” like the agency saw in the 2016 election.

The FBI director warned Congress back in July 2019 that Russia was still intent on trying to interfere in the 2020 presidential election despite U.S. efforts to combat such threats. Trump sidelined then-outgoing national intelligence director Joseph Maguire earlier this year after a member of his team briefed the House that Russia was trying to interfere in the election in Trump’s favor.

The statements echo intelligence officials who in early August presented classified information to Congress and presidential campaigns about Russia’s efforts to influence the 2020 election and American democracy. In an...

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