Foreign government efforts to target the 2022 U.S. midterm elections appeared to grow compared with the 2018 elections, according to a declassified intelligence assessment released Monday, with a 맥스카지노�diverse and growing group of foreign actors맥스카지노� participating.

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There was no known order from any foreign leader to 맥스카지노�undertake a comprehensive, whole-of-government influence campaign맥스카지노� like the one Russia carried out in 2016, according to the report. But the assessment found that China, Russia, Iran and Cuba all tried to meddle in congressional elections in 2022.

The intelligence community assesses with high confidence that China 맥스카지노�tacitly approved efforts to try to influence a handful of midterm races involving members of both U.S. political parties맥스카지노� 맥스카지노� likely as part of a broad series of directives by Chinese Communist Party leaders since 2020 to 맥스카지노�intensify efforts to influence U.S. policy and public opinion in China맥스카지노�s favor.맥스카지노�

China intensified its efforts to heighten sociopolitical divisions, according to the assessment, but still focused more on efforts to support or undermine a small number of specific candidates based on whether Beijing perceived their policy positions to be in its favor. Party leaders 맥스카지노�repeatedly have instructed officials to focus on Congress because Beijing is convinced that Congress is a locus of anti-China activity,맥스카지노� according to the report.

Still, 맥스카지노�Beijing almost certainly viewed the U.S. midterm elections as an opportunity to portray the U.S. democratic model as chaotic, ineffective, and unrepresentative, and frequently directed [People맥스카지노�s Republic of China] messaging to highlight U.S. divisions on social issues, such as abortion and gun control.맥스카지노�

U.S. intelligence agencies맥스카지노� conclusion that China has been more active in election influence activities aligns with reports from tech firms. Suspected Chinese operatives have used images made by artificial intelligence to mimic American voters online and provoke discussion on divisive political issues, Microsoft analysts warned in September.

Chinese officials likely had freer rein to conduct influence operations because they believed they were under 맥스카지노�less scrutiny during the midterms맥스카지노� and that the risk of any U.S. retaliation was lower than in 2020, the U.S. intelligence report said.

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Russia, meanwhile, sought 맥스카지노�to denigrate the Democratic Party before the midterm elections and undermine confidence in the election, most likely to undermine U.S. support for Ukraine,맥스카지노� the intelligence community assessed, also with high confidence.

The intelligence community found that the Kremlin 맥스카지노�conducted extensive research and analysis of U.S. audiences,맥스카지노� identifying key demographics, narratives and platforms that it believed would be effective in amplifying Russia맥스카지노�s message. Among those targeted audiences were 맥스카지노�U.S. constituencies that they believed were more sympathetic to Russia맥스카지노�s emphasis on 맥스카지노�traditional values,맥스카지노�맥스카지노� according to the assessment, which describes the findings as some of the 맥스카지노�most explicit reporting to date on Russia맥스카지노�s U.S.-focused influence operations.맥스카지노�

The assessment also confirms that Russian military officials proposed delaying the Russian withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Kherson until the day after the 2022 midterms 맥스카지노�to avoid giving a named U.S. political party a perceived win before the election.맥스카지노�

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Russian actors also generally sought to weaken confidence in Western democratic institutions, the assessment found, by 맥스카지노�[casting] aspersions on the integrity of the midterm elections, including by claiming that voting software was vulnerable, Americans expected cheating to undermine the midterm elections, and Democrats were stealing the elections.맥스카지노�

The assessment also detailed Iran맥스카지노�s influence activities during the midterms, finding that Tehran sought to exploit perceived social divisions and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions 맥스카지노� but that its efforts were limited by competing priorities, including the need to manage internal unrest.

Broadly, intelligence officials found, foreign actors shied away from technically challenging efforts to change literal votes and instead sought to influence U.S. elections by damaging the public perception of the integrity of their results.

The intelligence community also observed that other countries 맥스카지노� including Cuba 맥스카지노� engaged in more narrow efforts to support or undermine specific candidates, apparently predicated on the candidate맥스카지노�s willingness to advance policies that aligned with that country맥스카지노�s interest.

The assessment did not study the impact the influence campaigns may have had on the outcome of the 2022 elections.

CNN맥스카지노�s Sean Lyngaas contributed to this report.