Before any ballots had been counted, federal officials already had made plans to respond to outside actors attempting to meddle in midterm election results. Bill Gertz of the Washington Free Beacon reports.
The U.S. government has prepared harsh responses to any nations or groups that seek to disrupt the midterm elections this week, according to a senior National Security Council official who recently left the White House.
Fred Fleitz, the chief of staff for the NSC until last week, also said the United States may not extend the New START arms treaty with Russia over concerns Moscow is not complying with the 2010 strategic arms accord.
On potential meddling by China and Russia in the midterm elections that end Tuesday night, Fleitz, a former CIA analyst, said the NSC held hours of meetings to discuss threats and responses.
“Our enemies have been trying to meddle in our elections for many years. It didn’t just happen in 2016,” Fleitz said in an interview with the Washington Free Beacon.
“I know that there are very, very sound and serious policies to stop any meddling in the 2018 election, and to hold any parties that do that accountable,” said Fleitz, who will soon take over as president of the conservative Center for Security Policy, a Washington think tank.
