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DNI Pulte @DNIPulte - Redacted Document: DECLASSIFIED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP on 3 July 2026
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE COUNCIL ASSESSMENT
19 August 2020
NICA 2020-06885D
Foreign Threats to 2020 US Federal Elections
(U) Key Takeaways
Scope Note: This is a downgraded version of a paper originally published on 19 August, 2020, and includes information current as of that date. This paper updates NICM 2020-32, and NICM 2020-033, which also addresses China's broader influence efforts. This paper does not make assessments about the impact of these efforts on the US. It also does not discuss efforts that the IC cannot attribute to foreign actors.
(U) Ahead of the 2020 US elections, foreign states will continue to use covert and overt influence measures in their attempts to sway US voters' preferences and perspectives, shift US policies, increase discord in the United States, and undermine the American people's confidence in our democratic processes.
Foreign states or other actors may seek to compromise our election infrastructure for a range of possible purposes, such as interfering with the voting process, stealing sensitive data, or calling into question the validity of the election results. We judge that Russia, China, Iran, as well as many nonstate actors, have the capability to conduct such activities, although it would be difficult for them to manipulate voting processes at scale and without detection.
We are primarily concerned about ongoing and potential influence activity by Russia, China, and Iran.
We assess that Russia is using a range of measures primarily to denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia establishment. For example, it is directing or encouraging proxies to spread claims about Vice President Biden. Some Kremlin- linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump's candidacy on social media. More broadly, Moscow's efforts seek to amplify social discord in the US and undermine Washington's global standing.
We assess that China prefers that President Trump be defeated; in the past few months it has stepped up public thetoric criticizing his Administration, which it recognizes may affect the election.
Although Beijing did not intend to try to affect the election, online influence, and collecting
(U) This assessment was prepared under the auspices of the National Intelligence Officer (NIO) for Cyber. It was drafted by the National Intelligence Council
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