Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen submitted a joint report to President Donald Trump about foreign election interference and the 2018 midterm elections. The report concluded that any efforts by foreign countries to influence U.S. elections had “no material impact” on the midterm results, where Democrats took control of the House of Representatives and Republicans strengthened their hold on the Senate.
The specifics of the report are being kept under wraps, as it is a classified report, but a press release published by the Department of Justice on Tuesday said that it dealt with “the impact of any foreign interference on election infrastructure or the infrastructure of political organizations, including campaigns and candidates in the 2018-midterm elections.”
The release said that the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security worked with federal, state, local, and private partners to make sure that infrastructure for the midterm elections were secure and protected from outside interference.
“Although the specific conclusions within the joint report must remain classified, the Departments have concluded there is no evidence to date that any identified activities of a foreign government or foreign agent had a material impact on the integrity or security of election infrastructure or political/campaign infrastructure used in the 2018 midterm elections for the United States Congress,” the press release said.
This comes as Special Counsel Robert Mueller continues to investigate Russian election interference efforts. Mueller has indicted several Russian entities and individuals for their alleged roles in a massive election interference operation that allegedly involved using fake identities, grassroots campaigns, and social media to influence voters.
The investigation is also looking into what role—if any—the Trump campaign had in Russia’s efforts to interfere with the election.
[Image via Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images]
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