Trump declassifies China election files, revives 2020 fraud claims
What's new: The material conflicts with a 2021 US intelligence review that found no foreign actor altered any technical part of the vote.
President Donald Trump declassified intelligence materials on July 16 that he argued showed Chinese interference in US elections, reopening his attacks on the security of the 2020 vote he lost. In a 25-minute address, Trump claimed China obtained 220 million US voter files and accused intelligence officials of suppressing the scope of Beijing’s activity. But a 2021 unclassified US intelligence community assessment found no indication any foreign actor altered voter registrations, ballots, tabulations or election results. The speech also renewed Trump’s push for voter ID and citizenship requirements ahead of the midterm elections, while risking new friction with Beijing as he seeks a September meeting with Xi Jinping on trade.