CIA Director Has 'Every Expectation' Russia Will Try To Influence Midterm Elections

CIA Director Mike Pompeo says he has "every expectation" that Russia will try to disrupt midterm elections in November after U.S. intelligence uncovered interference in 2016.

In an interview with the BBC, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency was asked about concerns that the Kremlin might try again to influence the outcome of upcoming U.S. polls. He said: "I haven't seen a significant decrease in their activity."

"Of course. I have every expectation that they will continue to try and do that," Pompeo told the BBC, adding, "but I'm confident that America will be able to have a free and fair election [and] that we will push back in a way that is sufficiently robust that the impact they have on our election won't be great."

In January 2017, a U.S. intelligence assessment concluded that Russia had authorized hacks into the Democratic National Committee and officials connected with the Clinton campaign. In addition, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a Senate hearing that the hacking was one part of a coordinated effort that "also entailed classical propaganda, disinformation, and fake news."

In October, the CIA was forced to walk back an assertion by Pompeo that U.S. intelligence agencies had concluded that Russian interference did not affect the outcome of the election. - Read More, NPR

CIA Director Has 'Every Expectation' Russia Will Try To Influence Midterm Elections

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