WASHINGTON — Senior intelligence officials described Russian efforts to interfere in the 2018 midterm elections as deep, real and ongoing, showcasing their efforts to combat a threat President Donald Trump has repeatedly dismissed and downplayed.
“We continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to try to weaken and divide the United States,” Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told reporters at a briefing Thursday.
Speaking at a time when the administration is facing criticism for not doing enough to address the threat of Russian election interference, Coats said Trump had directed intelligence agencies to make election hacking a “top priority.”
“We’re throwing everything at it,” Coats said. He added the U.S. is “doing everything we can to have a legitimate election that the American people can have trust in.”
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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