POLITICUSUSA

Nearly 100 former national security officials from both parties are warning that Congress must protect US elections as a national security issue.

The former national security officials who are led by Gen. Michael Hayden; former DNI James Clapper; DHS Secretaries Chertoff and Napolitano; DOD Secretary Cohen; John Bellinger III (legal advisor to NSC and DOS) wrote in an open letter:

We are former senior national security officials who have served Democrats, Republicans, or admin

We believe these efforts are profoundly damaging to our national security, including by making our elections more vulnerable to foreign interference and possible manipulation. We call on Congress to confront these threats and safeguard our democratic process as we look ahead to the 2022 elections and beyond.

The officials are arguing that election security is not a partisan political issue. Election security is national security. The officials warned that the continued weakening of the US election system would make America more vulnerable to political violence and manipulation from hostile foreign actors.

Americans have already seen the damage that foreign election interference can cause during the 2016 election, and they have witnessed previously unimaginable political violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Democracy isn’t just free and fair elections. It is also a vital component of US national security, so when Republicans like Trump attack the election system, they are weakening America.