US intel officials warn Russia plans to target swing states in 2024 election with influence operations

CNN —

Russian operatives and propagandists are planning to “covertly use social media” in an attempt to sway public opinion and undermine support for Ukraine in swing states during the 2024 US elections, US intelligence officials said on Tuesday.

“We are beginning to see Russia target specific voter demographics, promote divisive narratives and denigrate specific politicians,” an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence told reporters in a call conducted on the condition that the official not be named.

Russia is “undertaking a whole-of-government approach to influence the election, including the presidential race, Congress and public opinion,” the official said, adding that Russia’s preference for US presidential candidates has not changed from previous election cycles.

The official declined to elaborate, but US intelligence previously assessed that in the 2020 US election, Russia conducted a range of influence operations to denigrate Joe Biden’s candidacy and support Donald Trump’s candidacy.

Tuesday’s briefing was perhaps the clearest public statement yet from US intelligence agencies on their assessment of how Russia, China and Iran may try to influence a highly polarized American public during a 2024 election.

“Russia is a preeminent threat. Iran is a chaos agent, and China is holding fire on the presidential race,” the ODNI official said.

“We assess China, for now, does not plan to influence the outcome of the presidential race, because it sees little gain in choosing between two parties that it perceives as both seeking to contain Beijing,” the official said.

All three countries have denied trying to interfere in or influence US elections.

ODNI officials did not reveal many specific