White House engaged on election security to counter Russian threat
 

WASHINGTON: The top US intelligence official said on Tuesday President Donald Trump?s administration is ?actively engaged? in efforts to prevent Russian efforts to influence the November US midterm elections, even as he warned of Moscow?s continuing ?malign activities.?
?The White House is actively engaged,? Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told a US Senate hearing. ?This is a high priority for them,? he said. Coats and other US intelligence officials have warned repeatedly that Russia is already trying to interfere in the 2018 elections by using social media to spread propaganda and misleading reports, much as it did during the 2016 campaign. ?We have not seen evidence of a robust effort yet on the part of Russia, but we know their malign activities continue to exist,? Coats told a Senate Armed Services hearing on ?Worldwide Threats.? ?It?s highly likely that they will be doing something. We just don?t know how much and when and where,? Coats said. US intelligence agencies determined that Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential election to boost then-Republican candidate, President Donald Trump.
The finding has shadowed Trump?s first 14 months in the White House amid multiple congressional investigations and a probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Moscow denies seeking to meddle in the US vote. Trump has denied collusion between his associates and Russia. Lawmakers, particularly Democrats, have been expressing mounting concern that the Trump administration is doing too little to combat hacking of this year?s election, when control of the US Congress is up for grabs.Some lawmakers pressed Coats on who was responsible for countering Russian propaganda online, noting that administration officials instead refer to the importance of taking a ?whole of government approach.?

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