Lauge Risom Koch 
Former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster warned that political leaders who undermine confidence in US elections are helping America’s adversaries, after referencing both the January 6 attack and President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on election integrity.
Former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said Americans should continue to trust the country’s electoral system, while warning that political leaders who cast doubt on election integrity risk benefiting foreign adversaries.
According to HuffPost, McMaster made the remarks during testimony before the House Select Committee on Intelligence, where he was asked about the security of US elections.
Election confidence
McMaster, who served as national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first administration before leaving the role in 2018, acknowledged that improvements to the electoral system are always possible.
“Yes, Americans should trust in the electoral process. Certainly there are improvements that can be made, and I think in the face of these kind of attacks to reduce our confidence in the outcome of elections,” he said.
According to HuffPost, McMaster then referenced the January 6 attack on the US Capitol as well as Trump’s recent address in which the president repeated claims about the 2020 election, alleged Chinese interference and criticized mail-in voting.
Warning to leaders
McMaster argued that political rhetoric undermining public confidence in democratic institutions could ultimately serve the interests of America’s opponents.
“I think any time a political leader compromises confidence in our democratic processes to score partisan points, I think that they’re actually aiding and abetting our adversaries who want to reduce that confidence,” McMaster said.
According to HuffPost, while McMaster did not mention Trump by name in that specific remark, his comments came after referring to both the January 6 insurrection and the president’s recent speech on election-related issues.
Watch the full clip here:
Click to display external content from twitter,
– You can always enable and disable third-party content.
You agree to display external third-party content. Personal data may be sent to the provider of the content and other third-party services.
Sources: HuffPost
