China is targetting the election slated to take place in Nov. in America with cyber attacks as it is bent on seeing Donald Trump lose in the impending election. This piece of information comes from White House National Security Adviser Robert OBrien, who warned this weekend that hackers of the Chinese government are trying to manipulate the country's election infrastructure.
The 2020 presidential election is just around the corner, making this shred of information shared by OBrien on Sunday even more alarming. Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a statement last week indicating that China is expanding its influence efforts, while Russia was already trying to defame Joe Biden; however, the statement didn't directly accuse Beijing of trying to hack into America's election-related systems.
China would like to see Trump lose in Nov., OBrien said in an interview on CBS's Face the Nation. He explained that China, Russia, and Iran have engaged in cyberattacks and phishing and adopted other similar methods with respect to America's election infrastructure, websites, and those sorts of things.
"It’s a real concern," he continued, explaining that hackers have been trying to get access to government websites and influence operation on social media platforms, including Twitter and other spaces. He went on to say that Trump has made several enemies by being tougher on China than any POTUS in history.
He said regardless of whether it is China, Russia, or Iran, the United States will not put up with it. He warned of severe consequences with any country that tries to influence the country's free and fair election. OBrien said it didn't matter whether leaders of these countries prefer Joe Biden or Donald Trump, stating that they won't let foreign countries decide who their next president is going to be.
China, on the other hand, has been denying America's allegations of trying to hack its companies, government agencies or pressurize politicians. Touting the U.S. presidential election as an internal affair, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had said in April that China has no interest in interfering in it.
OBrien accused hackers of trying to access websites of the Secretary of State offices around the country. These websites handle elections at the local level and collect data on American people. The ODNI continues to remain mum about whether or not OBrien's remarks coincide with their own.