Russian interference in the 2018 United States elections

In February 2018 Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats claimed during a congressional testimony that "the United States is under attack" from Russian authorities.{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/opinion/thomas-jefferson-street/articles/2018-02-13/intelligence-chiefs-warn-of-russian-2018-attack-which-trump-still-denies|title='Frankly, the United States Is Under Attack': U.S. intelligence chiefs warn of Russian 2018 election interference about which Trump remains unmoved.|last=Schlesinger|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Schlesinger|date=February 13, 2018|website=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=February 13, 2018}} As of February 13, 2018, six U.S. intelligence agencies unanimously assessed that Russian hackers are scanning American electoral systems and using bot armies to promote partisan causes on social media.{{cite news|last1=Herb|first1=Jeremy|date=February 13, 2018|title=US intel chiefs unanimous that Russia is targeting 2018 elections|work=CNN|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/13/politics/intelligence-chiefs-russia-2018-elections-target/index.html|access-date=February 15, 2018}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/us/politics/russia-sees-midterm-elections-as-chance-to-sow-fresh-discord-intelligence-chiefs-warn.html|title=Russia Sees Midterm Elections as Chance to Sow Fresh Discord, Intelligence Chiefs Warn|last1=Rosenberg|first1=Matthew|date=February 13, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 14, 2018|last2=Fandos|first2=Nicholas|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} Previously, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also warned that Russia was interfering in the 2018 midterm election.{{Cite news|last=Stanglin|first=Doug|date=February 7, 2018|title=Russia already meddling in U.S. midterm elections, Tillerson says|language=en|work=USA Today|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/02/07/tillerson-russians-already-meddling-u-s-midterm-elections/314560002/|access-date=February 14, 2018}}

In testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on February 13, Coats noted that voting in some elections will begin as early as March 2018 for primaries. He stated: "We need to inform the American public that this is real, that this is going to happen." At the same hearing, CIA Director Mike Pompeo told the committee that Russia has already been observed engaging in such tactics.{{cite magazine|last=Hennigan|first=W. J.|title=Russia Is Already Trying to Undermine the 2018 Elections, Top Spies Say|url=https://time.com/5155810/russian-meddling-2018-elections/|date=February 13, 2018|magazine=TIME|access-date=February 17, 2018}}

During a press conference in the White House on March 6, 2018, President Trump was questioned on the topic of possible interference in the upcoming midterm election, responding “We won’t allow that to happen. We’re doing a very, very deep study, and we’re coming out with, I think, some very strong suggestions on the ’18 election," adding, “we’ll counteract whatever they do.”{{cite news|last=Rucker|first=Philip|date=March 6, 2018|title=Trump vows to counteract any Russian interference in 2018 elections|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-vows-to-counteract-any-russian-interference-in-2018-elections/2018/03/06/fde7da52-215a-11e8-94da-ebf9d112159c_story.html|access-date=March 11, 2018|newspaper=Washington Post}}{{cite web|last=Keith|first=Tamara|date=March 6, 2018|title=Trump Says U.S. Working To Counteract Russian Election Interference In 2018 Midterms|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/03/06/590973788/trump-to-take-questions-in-joint-press-conference-with-swedish-prime-minister|access-date=March 11, 2018|website=NPR}}

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) discovers that the email accounts of four senior officials have been hacked and monitored for months by a probable foreign agent. The hack was kept secret, even from the GOP leadership, until the NRCC was contacted for a December story by Politico.

April 23, 2018, saw a report of a possible Russian hack of the website for state senate candidate Kendall Scudder, a Dallas Democratic candidate. The hack attempted to redirect visitors to another site, and included text in Russian. The incident was reported to the FBI.{{cite web|last=Wang|first=Jackie|date=April 23, 2018|title=Russian hackers may have targeted a Democrat's Texas Senate campaign website | 2018 Elections|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2018-elections/2018/04/23/russian-hackers-may-targeted-texas-senate-candidates-campaign-website|access-date=August 13, 2018|website=Dallas Morning News|publisher=Dallas News}}

On May 23, 2018, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a committee hearing, warned that the US government was not protected from Russian interference in the 2018 midterms elections, saying, "No responsible government official would ever state that they have done enough to forestall any attack on the United States of America".{{cite web|last=Cohen|first=Zachary|date=May 23, 2018|title=Pompeo says the US has not done enough to protect 2018 elections|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/23/politics/pompeo-russian-election-interference/index.html|access-date=August 13, 2018|website=CNN}}

On July 10, 2018, the Utah State Elections Director Justin Lee reported that the registration database in Utah recorded a huge uptick in hack attempts, upwards of one billion attempts per day (12,000/second) were seen after Mitt Romney announced his return to campaign for the Senate. Romney's views of Russia as the United States' "biggest geopolitical threat," were widely panned in the 2012 US presidential campaign, but mark him as one of few outspoken Republican opponents of Russian threats.{{cite news |last=Raymond |first=Art |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900024412/mitt-romney-on-ticket-helps-boost-nefarious-web-traffic-to-1b-daily.html |title=Mitt Romney on ticket helps boost nefarious web traffic to 1B daily |work=Deseret News |date=July 10, 2018 |access-date=August 13, 2018 |archive-date=August 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808013328/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900024412/mitt-romney-on-ticket-helps-boost-nefarious-web-traffic-to-1b-daily.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite news|first=Tristan|last=Greene|url=https://thenextweb.com/politics/2018/07/12/hackers-attack-utahs-online-voter-database-more-than-a-billion-times-a-day/|title=Hackers attack Utah's online voter database more than a billion times a day|work=Thenextweb.com|date=July 12, 2018|access-date=August 13, 2018}}

A July 15 Business Insider article revealed a new Russian intelligence-linked "news" site, USAReally, which follows in the footsteps of previous Russian IRA-backed troll farms, and appears to be an attempt to "test the waters" ahead of the mid-terms.{{Cite news|last=Roose|first=Kevin|date=2018-09-25|title=Is a New Russian Meddling Tactic Hiding in Plain Sight?|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/technology/usareally-russian-news-site-propaganda.html|access-date=2021-03-30|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|last1=Davlashyan|first1=Naira|last2=Charlton|first2=Angela|date=July 15, 2018|title=Here's how Russian bots and trolls are testing the waters before the midterm elections, including placing the blame on the US|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-russian-bots-trolls-test-waters-ahead-of-us-midterms-2018-7|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Business Insider|archive-date=February 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209193739/https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-russian-bots-trolls-test-waters-ahead-of-us-midterms-2018-7|url-status=dead}}

On July 17, commentator David A. Love said that the WalkAway social media campaign, originally created by New York resident Brandon Straka, had been co-opted by Russian bots in an attempt to discourage Democrats from voting in the mid-term elections, citing Hamilton 68.{{cite news|first=David A.|last=Love|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/17/opinions/russian-bots-2018-midterm-elections-opinion-love/index.html|title=Russian bots are using #WalkAway to try to wound Democrats in the midterms|work=CNN|date=July 17, 2018|access-date=August 13, 2018}} He cited the #WalkAway hashtag as an example of astroturfing.

On July 20, Microsoft VP for Customer Security and Trust revealed at the Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colorado that Russian hackers had already specifically targeted three Congressional candidates running in the 2018 mid-term elections, using sophisticated spearphishing techniques spoofing a Microsoft website.{{Cite web|last=Brewster|first=Thomas|date=July 20, 2018|title=Microsoft: Russian Hackers Are Targeting The Midterms|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2018/07/20/russian-hackers-target-three-mid-term-candidates-says-microsoft/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Forbes|language=en}}

On July 26, Missouri's Democratic senator Claire McCaskill revealed that Russian hackers attempted to break into her Senate email account unsuccessfully,{{cite news|last=Watkins|first=Eli|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/26/politics/claire-mccaskill-phishing/index.html|title=Claire McCaskill says attempted Russia hacking on her office 'not successful' - CNNPolitics |work=CNN|date=July 26, 2018|access-date=August 13, 2018}} confirming a report in The Daily Beast.{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-hackers-new-target-a-vulnerable-democratic-senator|title=Russian Hackers' New Target: a Vulnerable Democratic Senator|last1=Desiderio|first1=Andrew|date=July 26, 2018|work=The Daily Beast|access-date=August 13, 2018|last2=Poulsen|first2=Kevin}}

On July 31, Facebook announced they had detected and removed 32 pages and fake accounts being used for "coordinated inauthentic behavior," and was "working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other intelligence agencies".{{cite news|url=https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/07/removing-bad-actors-on-facebook/ |title=Removing Bad Actors on Facebook|work=Facebook Newsroom|date=July 31, 2018|access-date=August 13, 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/31/us/politics/facebook-political-campaign-midterms.html|title=Facebook Identifies an Active Political Influence Campaign Using Fake Accounts|date=July 31, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 13, 2018|first1=Nicholas|last1=Fandos|first2=Kevin|last2=Roose}}

On August 2, 2018, the Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats announced along with FBI Director Christopher A. Wray at a White House press conference that Russia is actively interfering in the 2018 elections, saying "It is real. It is ongoing."{{cite news|last=Stewart |first=Emily |url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/2/17644744/russia-interference-midterms-fbi-intelligence-dan-coats-christopher-wray-trump |title=The US intel chief just said Russian interference is "continuing" |work=Vox |date=August 2, 2018 |access-date=August 13, 2018}} At the same time, NPR reported that Democratic senator Jeanne Shaheen reported to the FBI several attempts to compromise her campaign including both spearphishing attempts on her staff, and a disturbing incident where someone called her offices "impersonating a Latvian official, trying to set up a meeting to talk to me about Russian sanctions and about Ukraine."{{cite news|first=Tim|last=Mak|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/08/02/634682228/this-is-not-fine-new-evidence-of-russian-interference-meets-inaction-frustration|title=This Is 'Not Fine': New Evidence Of Russian Interference Meets Inaction, Frustration |work=NPR |date=August 2, 2018 |access-date=August 13, 2018}} Her opposition to Russian aggression and support of sanctions has placed her on an official Russian blacklist.{{cite news|first1=Andrew|last1=Desiderio|first2=Kevin|last2=Poulsen|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/mystery-sting-targets-us-senator-for-dirt-on-russia-sanctions|title=Mystery Sting Targets U.S. Senator for Dirt on Russia Sanctions|work=The Daily Beast|date=July 30, 2018|access-date=August 13, 2018}}

On August 6, Democratic candidate Tabitha Isner, running for Alabama's 2nd congressional district, reported 1,300+ unsuccessful attempts to break into her campaign website from Russian sourced IP addresses, mostly happening between July 17–18, prompting additional website security measures.{{Cite web|last=Gore|first=Leada|date=2018-08-06|title=Roby challenger: Russians tried to hack her website|url=https://www.al.com/news/2018/08/martha_roby_challenger_tabitha.html|access-date=2021-03-30|website=AL.com|language=en}}

On August 8, Florida Senator Bill Nelson told the Tampa Bay Times that Russian operatives have penetrated some of Florida's election systems ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. "They have already penetrated certain counties in the state and they now have free rein to move about," Nelson told the newspaper. He also stated that more detailed information is classified.{{cite news |last1=Leary |first1=Alex |last2=Bousquet |first2=Steve |last3=Wilson |first3=Kirby |url=https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/08/08/bill-nelson-the-russians-have-penetrated-some-florida-voter-election-systems/ |title=Bill Nelson: The Russians have penetrated some Florida voter registration systems |work=Tampa Bay Times |date=August 8, 2018 |access-date=August 8, 2018 }} The Russian hackers may be able to prevent some voters from casting votes by removing people from the voter rolls.{{cite web|last=Diaz|first=Daniella|date=August 9, 2018|title=Bill Nelson: Russians 'penetrated' Florida voter registration systems|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/09/politics/bill-nelson-florida-voter-registration-russia/index.html|access-date=August 13, 2018|website=CNN}}

On October 19, the Department of Justice charged Russian accountant Elena Khusyaynova with attempting to interfere with the midterm elections. She was involved with handling the money for Internet Research Agency and related entities who had previously been charged with interfering in the 2016 elections.{{Cite web|last=Sheth|first=Sonam|date=October 19, 2018|title=The DOJ has charged a Russian woman working for a close Putin ally with conspiring to interfere in the 2018 midterms|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/elena-khusyaynova-charged-midterm-elections-russia-2018-10|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Business Insider}}

On November 6, the 2018 US midterm elections took place.

On December 4, Politico reported that the email accounts of four senior officials at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) were hacked and monitored for months by a probable foreign agent. The hack was kept secret by the NRCC, even from the GOP leadership, until it was contacted by Politico for their story.{{cite web|title=Exclusive: Emails of top NRCC officials stolen in major 2018 hack|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/04/exclusive-emails-of-top-nrcc-officials-stolen-in-major-2018-hack-1043309|website=Politico|date=December 4, 2018|access-date=December 4, 2018|last1=Isenstadt|first1=Alex|last2=Bresnahan|first2=John}}{{cite news|last1=Nakashima|first1=Ellen|last2=Harris|first2=Shane|date=4 December 2018|title=National Republican Congressional Committee says it was hacked during this year's election cycle|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/national-republican-congressional-committee-says-it-was-hacked-during-this-years-election-cycle/2018/12/04/58136c7a-f7e9-11e8-8d64-4e79db33382f_story.html|access-date=4 December 2018|newspaper=Washington Post}}{{cite web|last1=Merica|first1=Dan|last2=Cohen|first2=Marshall|last3=O'Sullivan|first3=Donie|date=4 December 2018|title=House Republican campaign arm hacked during 2018 midterms|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/04/politics/nrcc-hack-midterms/index.html|access-date=4 December 2018|website=CNN}}

On December 22, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats reported that there was no evidence of vote tampering, but influence operations had persisted. "The activity we did see was consistent with what we shared in the weeks leading up to the election. Russia, and other foreign countries, including China and Iran, conducted influence activities and messaging campaigns targeted at the United States to promote their strategic interests."{{Cite web|last1=Ferran|first1=Lee|last2=Good|first2=Chris|date=December 22, 2018|title=No evidence of midterm vote tampering, but influence operations persisted: US intelligence|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/evidence-midterm-vote-tampering-influence-operations-persisted-us/story?id=59964734|access-date=2021-03-30|website=ABC News|language=en}}

• Yevgeny Prigozhin
• Russian espionage in the United States
• Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
• Russian interference in the 2020 United States elections
• Russian interference in the 2024 United States elections
• Social media in the United States presidential election, 2016
• Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
• Timelines related to Donald Trump and Russian interference in United States elections

{{reflist}}

{{Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections}}

{{2018 United States elections}}

{{Hacking in the 2010s}}

{{Presidency of Joe Biden}}

{{Russia–United States relations}}

Category:2018 controversies in the United States

Category:2018 elections in the United States

Category:Russia–United States relations

United States elections, 2018

Category:Internet manipulation and propaganda

Category:First Trump administration controversies

Category:Information operations and warfare