Several adversaries of the United States attempted to influence the 2022 midterm elections, according to a recently declassified U.S. intelligence report released Monday.
The report, titled "Foreign Threats to the 2022 U.S. Elections," details how China, Russia, Cuba, and Iran each attempted to use information campaigns to influence the outcomes of certain races in 2022. The countries' efforts focused mainly on public perception rather than accessing election infrastructure to alter voter counts, and the report did not determine any country undertook a "comprehensive, whole-of-government influence campaign."
The report, produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, as well as the CIA, FBI, NSA, and Department of Homeland Security, is dated Dec. 23, 2022. The government declassified it and released it Monday.
China "tacitly approved efforts" to influence races involving both Democratic and Republican candidates, likely in accordance with China's "standing guidance to counter U.S. politicians viewed as anti-China and to support others viewed as pro-China," the report said.
The report also determined that "the Russian government and its proxies sought to denigrate the Democratic Party before the midterm elections and undermine confidence U.S. democratic institutions during this election cycle."
Russia's efforts likely had the goal of subverting American support for Ukraine, the report found. Russian actors also denounced a small number of Republicans the government deemed anti-Russian.
Iran, the report said, attempted to influence the elections by lending support to left-leaning politicians, creating fake social media accounts posing as left-wing Americans who endorsed candidates. Iran aimed to "fuel distrust in U.S. political institutions" and "increase social tension," U.S. intelligence determined.
Cuba was the fourth country named in the report, which said that Havana's efforts were more limited when compared with the other three of America's adversaries. Its efforts targeted both Democrats and Republicans whom its government believed to be hostile.
The assessment came the same day that the DOJ and DHS released a report stating that there was "no evidence that any foreign government-affiliated actor compromised the security or integrity of any election infrastructure."