Biden warns of Russian election interference after receiving intelligence briefings

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Friday he’s begun to receive intelligence briefings during the campaign and warned of foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election.

“We know from before and I guarantee you I know now because now I get briefings again. The Russians are still engaged in trying to delegitimize our electoral process. Fact,” he said at a fundraiser Friday. 

“China and others are engaged as well in activities that are designed for us to lose confidence in the outcome,” he added. 

Biden has only recently begun receiving intelligence briefings, noting at a June 30 event that he “very well may” ask for access to intelligence on reports that Russia had offered bounties to the Taliban for attacks on U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan. 

Democrats have sounded the alarm that the country’s election systems are not secure amid concerns that Russia and other foreign adversaries could ramp up their election interference efforts after Moscow meddled in the 2016 race.

Presidential candidates are traditionally offered the chance to be briefed on intelligence in the runups to presidential elections. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were briefed beginning in August of 2016.