President Donald Trump released newly declassified intelligence documents on Thursday regarding Chinese activities during the 2020 U.S. election. The records show that Chinese intelligence agencies collected or analyzed over 200 million U.S. voter records for identity matching and political analysis. The president used the disclosure to advocate for the SAVE America Act, a bill that would require proof of citizenship and photo identification for federal elections.
The declassified documents highlight internal debates within the intelligence community regarding how to categorize China's actions. However, the records do not contradict previous findings from intelligence agencies, which concluded that China did not alter voting systems or change any ballots. A 2020 National Intelligence Council assessment included in the release stated that while China preferred a specific outcome, it did not intend to interfere with the election results.
In his address, Trump also referenced a Department of Homeland Security review that reportedly identified 278,000 noncitizens on voter rolls. While federal law currently prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, Trump argued the data demonstrates a need for stricter federal requirements. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy denied any interference, stating that China adheres to a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations.