(Washington = Yonhap News) Correspondent Lee Yu-mi = The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 20th (local time) that current and former U.S. national security officials are providing confidential advice to state governments and Congress concerned about the Trump administration's possible interference in the November midterm elections.
In particular, concerns are being raised that President Trump may intervene in the election process or try to overturn the election results, especially in competitive regions that will determine the direction of the majority in Congress.
According to a WP report, multiple officials said that a group of about 10 current and former officials with experience working at the U.S. Department of Defense have been in contact with governors and election officials in 10 states, as well as Democratic and Republican senators and representatives over the past few months.
These groups were found to be presenting scenarios in which the Trump administration could influence the election results by mobilizing federal authority and recommending preparedness measures.
Specifically, it advises lawmakers to prepare to publicly oppose attempts to interfere with elections, and advises states to address loopholes in election procedures that the federal government could exploit.
Scenarios they are concerned about reportedly include the Trump administration deploying military troops or immigration enforcement agents at polling places, or attempting to invalidate the election results by raising suspicions of election fraud.
Their activities are especially concentrated in competitive areas that will determine the winner or loser of the election.
“What we want is to ensure that the state is prepared for any eventuality,” an official said.
However, they explained that these concerns are based on an analysis of the Trump administration's actions and public statements, not on specific classified information or intelligence. He also emphasized that related activities were carried out in a personal capacity, not as official government work.
These current and former officials explained that these activities were not due to political bias, but rather stemmed from concerns that the Trump administration could undermine the fairness of the election and threaten democracy in order to maintain the Republican Party's majority position in Congress.
The White House dismissed concerns about election interference.
“The Trump administration is taking decisive action to protect our elections, including prosecuting election crimes, strengthening the security of our election infrastructure, and protecting vulnerable voters from fraud and coercion,” White House communications director Lauren Biss said in a statement.
In the United States, conflict continues between the federal and state governments over the Trump administration's attempts to expand its influence over election procedures under state jurisdiction.
The Trump administration has been pushing each state government to secure voter lists, but not only Democratic-led state governments but also some Republican-led state governments, such as Utah, are not responding.
President Trump has been claiming that the so-called 'deep state' (a power group behind the scenes in the country) made up of government officials is interfering with his administration of state affairs.
After coming back to power, he strengthened his control over the federal government by firing a large number of civil servants and demanding political loyalty from the bureaucracy.
As President Trump has increased his control over the federal bureaucracy, the fact that current and former national security officials are wary of the possibility of the administration's intervention in the election and are seeking countermeasures outside of the official organization is drawing attention through this WP report.
