Kathrine Frich
Trump’s favorite pastime of sowing doubt about the previous vote has taken an unexpected turn.
Transparency in government often comes with a few unexpected twists.
When politicians decide to release classified files to prove a point, the documents do not always cooperate with the narrative.
A major new release of national intelligence has done exactly that.
A surprising discovery
President Donald Trump used a primetime national address on Thursday to raise concerns about election interference. He announced that he had declassified secret documents and put them on the White House website.
Trump insisted these records would prove that foreign powers and the deep state had targeted his campaign. But the files revealed something he likely wanted to keep hidden.
According to a report by HuffPost, the documents actually show that foreign hackers targeted his rival, Joe Biden, instead of him.
Trump’s favorite pastime of sowing doubt about the previous vote has taken an unexpected turn, as the heavily redacted documents tell a completely different story from the one he told on television.
The intelligence files
One key document from the public dump is titled “CIA Wire Memo Summer 2020.” This file directly contradicts the president’s claims of being the primary target.
“As the 2020 election approaches, the IC has detected Chinese state-sponsored cyber actors targeting the former Vice President’s presidential campaign, probably to gather intelligence that could enable future operations,” the memo stated.
The phrase refers to Biden’s campaign. The files prove that Chinese state hackers were focused on spying on the Democratic challenger rather than Trump.
Russia joined in
The files also showed that Russian cyber actors were running a parallel campaign. They too focused their energy on the Democratic candidate.
A file titled “NICA (National Intelligence Council Assessment) Foreign Threats To 2020 US Election” laid out the details.
“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,” the assessment stated.
The same file noted that China “prefers that President Trump be defeated.” Even so, the actual cyber attacks and spying operations went after Biden. The declassification has accidentally highlighted the intense pressure faced by Trump’s opponent.
Sources: AHuffPost, White House website
