President Donald Trump has announced the declassification and release of intelligence reports revealing Chinese acquisition of American voter data and vulnerabilities in the US election system. The documents, compiled by the White House Government Transparency Task Force and reviewed by senior intelligence officials, show that China obtained 220 million US voter files with sensitive information. Additionally, records from at least 18 states were compromised, affecting over 200 million voter records.
Trump accused the intelligence community of withholding information about China’s activities during his first term. He has called for investigations by various agencies to determine why this information was not provided to him. The released records also detail China’s attempts to influence American politics, business, and media, as well as their collection of voter-registration information and personally identifiable data.
The disclosures are expected to fuel discussions on election security and foreign interference in the lead-up to the US midterm elections. The documents highlight the risks posed by stolen voter data, including potential misuse to alter voter information or registrations. Trump has urged lawmakers to consider legislation mandating photo identification and proof of citizenship for voting, while restricting mail-in ballots.
