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Moscow is also attempting to undercut what it sees as an
anti-Russian U.S. establishment, the head of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation told the Democratic-led House of
Representatives' Homeland Security committee.
He said his biggest concern is a "steady drumbeat of
misinformation" that he said he feared could undermine
confidence in the result of the 2020 election.
Wray's testimony follows an Aug. 7 warning by the director of
the National Counterintelligence and Security Center that
Russia, China and Iran were all trying to interfere in the Nov.
3 election.
Multiple reviews by U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded
that Russia acted to boost now-President Donald Trump's 2016
campaign and undermine his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. The
Republican president has long bristled at that finding, which
Russia denies.
Trump himself has repeatedly and without evidence questioned the
increased use of mail-in ballots, a long established method of
voting in the United States which are expected to see a surge in
use due to the coronavirus. On Thursday Trump wrote on Twitter,
without evidence, that they could make it impossible to know the
election's true outcome.
Regarding China, Wray said that the FBI is so active in
monitoring Chinese efforts to acquire U.S. technology and other
sensitive information that it is opening a new
counterintelligence investigation related to China "every 10
hours."
Wray said the FBI is conducting multiple investigations into
violent domestic extremists following months of street protests
against racism and police brutality. He said the largest "chunk"
of investigations were into white supremacist groups.
(Reporting By Mark Hosenball; Editing by Scott Malone,
Marguerita Choy and Jonathan Oatis)
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