The US intelligence community "expects foreign actors to continue their campaigns questioning the validity of the election results after the polls close," an official from the DNI director's office said.
"In such a contested post-election atmosphere, foreign actors will likely use tactics similar to those they are using today to undermine confidence in the integrity of elections and electoral processes, as well as to further exacerbate divisions among Americans ," he said. the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The assessment, released less than a month before US Election Day, adds that state actors expect the election race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump to be a tight one.
"The intelligence community expects foreign actors to continue their campaigns questioning the validity of election results after the polls close ," the official added.
State actors, increasingly interested in the manipulation of electoral campaigns in the USA
A second US intelligence official warned that the pace of such manipulation efforts, particularly those targeting certain elections or political campaigns, has accelerated.
"We've had a more than threefold increase" in manipulation efforts , the official said, explaining that the number of private briefings for candidates and campaigns has also increased.
State actors—namely China, Iran, and Russia—have already made attempts over the past year to meddle in election results and political discourse. Last month, the US accused Iranian agents of hacking to disrupt the election, including a breach of Trump campaign staff email inboxes.
Officials have also said that Russia, Cuba and China are seeking to influence the vote in certain US congressional elections to promote candidates who are more in favor of geopolitical or economic positions that suit them.
Moscow, for example, backs candidates who oppose sending more military aid to Ukraine, while Beijing pushes for those who support its core interests in its claims to Taiwan.
Monday's assessment follows a series of earlier public warnings about efforts by state actors to meddle in the US electoral process.
US officials said on Monday that Russia, Iran and China continue to be responsible for most efforts to manipulate the US electorate.
