⁍ Top U.S. counterintelligence official on Friday warned that Russia, China and Iran will all try to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.

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⁍ William Evanina said those countries were using online disinformation and other means to try to influence voters.

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⁍ Foreign adversaries may try to interfere with U.S. election systems by trying to sabotage the voting process, stealing election data, or calling into question the validity of election results.

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– The director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued what Reuters calls an “unusual public statement” Friday: He warned that Russia, China, and Iran are planning to try to interfere in the 2020 election. “It would be difficult for our adversaries to interfere with or manipulate voting results at scale,” said William Evanina, adding that Iran is likely to use online disinformation and other means to try to discredit US institutions and President Trump, and China is likely to want Trump not to win re-election because it sees him as too unpredictable. Evanina said Russia is already targeting Joe Biden, who is running for the Democratic nomination, and pro-Russia Ukrainian politician Andriy Derkach, who has been “spreading claims about corruption—including through publicized leaked phone calls” to undermine Biden’s campaign. “Kremlin-linked actors” are also likely to try to “boost President Trump’s candidacy via social media and Russian television,” he said, adding that China has been “expanding efforts to influence US politics ahead of the November election to try to shape US policy, exert pressure on US politicians it regards as anti-China, and deflect criticism of China.” In a statement, leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee thanked Evanina for his warning and said Americans “should endeavor to prevent outside actors from being able to interfere in our elections, influence our politics, and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions.”