The leaders of the US intelligence community have gathered at the White House to present a united front. Donald Trump has faced massive criticism for failing to act on Russian election interference.
Image: picture-alliance/E.Vucci
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The United States government has warned that Russia is conducting "information warfare" ahead of US midterm elections, and officials say they have assembled a "vast, government-wide effort" to counteract interference.
US President Donald Trump has faced bipartisan criticism that the country remains exposed to election meddling as he fails to act on the issue.
The heads of national intelligence, Homeland Security, the National Security Agency and the FBI appeared alongside each other to assure the public they were acting against meddling.
They said Russia was still attempting to undermine US democracy through various means.
They said Russia was attempting to disseminate false information, suppress voting and provide illegal campaign financing, and commit cyber attacks against voting infrastructure, elected officials and others.
Intelligence agencies will now share classified information with social media networks to combat such attempts.
They are conducting investigations into foreign interference.
There will be a stronger focus on sharing signs of possible interference with state and local partners.
Hacking the 2016 US election: a timeline
The US expelled 35 Russian diplomats over a bitter row between the two countries. The Kremlin denied US intelligence reports that it supported hackers who tried to sway the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/K. Kudryavtsev
Democrats in the dark
Over the summer, a security company hired by the Democratic National Convention tells the DNC that they have been successfully infiltrated by hackers for more than year. Two groups, known as Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear, both have links to the Russian government, the Washington Post reports.
Image: Reuters/M. Kauzlarich
All eyes on Russia
At the end of July, the FBI launches an investigation into whether or not the Russian government ordered the DNC hack. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calls the move "paranoid."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'Russia, if you're listening'
On the campaign trail, Republican nominee Donald Trump encourages Russia to "find the 30,000 emails that are missing." In a series of debates with rival Hillary Clinton, Trump casts doubt on Moscow's role in hacks that targeted the DNC and Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta.
Image: Reuters/J. Ernst
WikiLeaks targets Clinton
Anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks begins releasing slightly compromising emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. Co-founder Julian Assange defends targeting Clinton, saying Trump's own statements are indictment enough of the Republican nominee. Over a period of months, WikiLeaks consistently denies allegations that its sources are based in Russia.
Image: Reuters/A. Schmidt
CIA, FBI investigations
In a rare moment of complete agreement for the two biggest intelligence agencies in the US, both the FBI and CIA come to the conclusion that the Russian government sought to influence the US election by promoting unfavorable coverage of Hillary Clinton.
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Donald and Vladimir
Trump, who has made no secret of his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, calls the intelligence reports "ridiculous." Anti-Clinton voices slam the probe as a distraction meant to discredit the now president-elect. This puts Trump at odds with Republicans in Congress who call for an independent investigation.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Thew & A. Druzhinin/Ria Novosti/Kremlin Pool
Obama expels diplomats
At the end of December, the Obama administration expels 35 Russian diplomats and shuts down two Russian intelligence compounds as the Kremlin continues to deny having a role in the summer's cyberattacks. President Putin eschews direct retaliation, saying he will wait to see how President-elect Trump's Russia policies play out.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/P. M. Monsivais
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What they said
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said: "We continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to try to weaken and divide the United States."
FBI Director Christopher Wray said: "This is not just an election cycle threat. Our adversaries are trying to undermine our country on a persistent and regular basis, whether it's election season or not."
Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen said: "Our democracy itself is in the crosshairs."
Counteracting Trump's ambivalence
Although scant on details, the collective warning runs counter to Trump's repeated downplaying of Russian interference in his election victory. The assembly of the leaders of the US intelligence community, all stressing Russian interference attempts, came soon after Trump was forced to retract statements that undermined their conclusions.
