WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Friday that his administration is declassifying what he described as intelligence documents detailing election security vulnerabilities, alleged foreign interference, and what he called years of government efforts to conceal information from both his administration and the public.
“Our purpose in disclosing this information is not to weaken confidence in election, but to earn that confidence by confronting vulnerabilities and correcting them very, very quickly,” Trump said during the address. “And that’s what we’re doing.”
The president said the documents would begin appearing immediately on the White House website and announced additional investigations by federal agencies into the matters discussed during his speech.
Trump Claims China Obtained Millions of U.S. Voter Records
Trump said the first group of documents alleges China carried out what he called “the largest compromise of election data in history.”
“Over a period of years, starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history, resulting in China’s illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files.”
According to Trump, the records included names, addresses, phone numbers and political party preferences.
“This data loss presents an unprecedented election security nightmare,” he said.
Trump also alleged the released intelligence concludes that China established “a data exploitation unit specifically to this new project.”
President Says Intelligence Was Hidden
Trump repeatedly accused intelligence agencies of withholding information regarding alleged Chinese election activities.
“They did not disclose to me as president or to anyone else and, to the best of our knowledge, they did not inform Congress,” Trump said.
He criticized previous public assurances about election security.
“All they kept saying is, ‘This is the most secure election in the history of our country.‘”
Quoting from what he said were newly released internal communications, Trump claimed one email acknowledged officials had “deliberately massaged the presidential daily briefing to withhold information regarding Chinese activities related to the election.”
He also alleged another FBI official wrote that she was running “a shadow government” to prevent the information from becoming public.
Trump announced he has directed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, CIA and Department of Justice to investigate the handling of the intelligence.
“I’m asking the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the CIA to investigate how and why such crucial information was hidden, to fire those involved in the cover-up, and to file criminal charges, if appropriate.”
Intelligence Documents Allegedly Detail Cybersecurity Risks
Trump said another collection of documents concerns vulnerabilities in election infrastructure.
“We’re publishing a series of previously classified U.S. intelligence community assessments and other reports proving that our government has long known these machines are extremely exposed to attack.“
Reading from one assessment, Trump quoted the document as stating:
“We judge that the United States’ adversaries, including at a minimum Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, as well as non-state groups, have the capability to compromise U.S. election infrastructure.”
He also quoted another assessment that stated:
“We assess that centralized election-related data repositories such as voter registration databases, poll books, and other official election websites are most vulnerable to exploitation.”
Trump argued those findings demonstrate “a cyber threat aimed at the very heart of our democracy.”
Michigan Investigation Among Documents Released
Trump also discussed FBI records concerning an alleged voter registration fraud investigation in Muskegon, Michigan.
According to Trump, the documents state canvassers admitted they “signed voter registration forms in other people’s names,” submitted registrations “for people who did not exist,” and “received gift cards tied to their number of applications.”
“The FBI agents working on the case believed that crimes were committed,” Trump said. “Yet, the Biden Department of Justice slow-walked the investigation and killed it.”
He said he has instructed the FBI director to ensure the matter is fully investigated.
DHS Findings on Voter Rolls
Trump said a Department of Homeland Security review identified approximately 278,000 non-citizens registered to vote in federal elections.
“State voter rolls and public records identified approximately 278,000 non-citizens who are registered to vote in federal elections.”
He added that DHS has been instructed “to notify every state about non-citizens on their voter rolls and direct them to remove all ineligible voters from the lists immediately.”
President Presses Congress on Election Reform
Trump concluded by urging Congress to pass the proposed “Save America Act.”
“Congress must pass the Save America Act.”
According to Trump, the legislation would require photo voter identification, proof of U.S. citizenship to vote, and sharply limit mail-in voting to specific circumstances.
“All voters must show photo voter ID.”
“All voters must provide proof of citizenship.”
He argued, “The only reason you wouldn’t do it is you want to cheat.”
Trump closed by urging Americans to contact lawmakers.
“I ask you to pick up your phone tomorrow, call your representatives in the House and Senate, and demand that they pass the Save America Act without delay.”
What Comes Next
Trump said additional documents would continue to be released through the White House website and announced that the Secretary of Homeland Security would hold a briefing the following day outlining what he described as election cybersecurity findings. He also said federal agencies would begin notifying states whose voter data the administration believes may have been compromised.
