You might recall that last week, the FBI warned, and mainstream media quickly jumped on it, about threats against election workers, volunteers & officials, because according to the FBI, free and fair elections are the cornerstone of American democracy. Individuals who oversee and participate in the administration of elections, including poll workers, volunteers, and election officers, help safeguard the integrity of the democratic process. Specific examples of election workers identified by the DOJ in the warning, it includes:
- A Secretary of State or someone
in their staff
- An employee of a state or
county’s board of elections
- An individual volunteering at
polling stations
- Clerks handling and counting
casted ballots
And according to the Department of Justice,
the DOJ in close partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
established the Threats to Election Workers Task Force (Task Force) to
identify, mitigate, and investigate reports of threats targeting election
workers. The Task Force receives and assesses reports of threats targeting
election workers to determine next steps, in consultation with the Department
of Justice.
While the mainstream media pounced on the Election Integrity narrative with vanilla headlines and without asking a single question. At first it appeared there were no takers. As the day progressed, the media did pick up the story with the headlines designed to provide what their audience wanted to hear: Like WVNCTV “Program ready to stop Fraud, protect rights.” Or KCRG’s “Election Day Program Seeks to Thwart Voting Discrimination and Intimidation.” On closer examination, we noticed that the press releases coming from the Department of Justice announcing the Election Day Program all had similar headlines: United States Attorney Announces Election Day Program, except that the one coming out from the Southern District of West Virginia reads as follows: United States Attorney's Office Implements Election Day Program to Stop Fraud and Protect Voting Rights. Why only Virginia?
We faulted last week’s FBI's warnings for not addressing
the higher risk vulnerability: The
Inside Threat
 |
| Vanilla Headlines |
Today’s 2022 Election Day Program advances the narrative, and
still falls short. as it states that the DOJ has an important
role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls,
threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and
election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever
they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers
these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against
election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling
votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and
marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.
It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and
provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and
other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for
the candidate of their choice.
 |
| Election Day Program Headlines |
As the DOJ seeks to ensure public confidence
in the electoral process, we get the news that no one involved on
the Dirty Russia Dossie designed to interfere with the 2016 elections has been
held to account. Just yesterday, IgorDanchenko accused of lying to the FBI about his role in the creation of the
dossier was acquired. The third case brought by Special Counsel John Durham as
part of his probe into how the FBI conducted its own investigation into
allegations of collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Kremlin.
Recall the FBI offered Christopher
Steele $1 million to prove the dossier claims. Then there is the FBI's tone deaf Trust In Me Public Service Announcement.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in
large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that
those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election
fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. He added “The
franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy,” Thompson said. “We all
must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if
they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to
justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and
election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints
are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA Goes will be on duty in this
District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at
In case of a crime of violence or
intimidation, you are advised to call 911 immediately and before contacting
federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over
polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an
emergency.
As we like to say often, A Security professional’s worse nightmare is Insiders with Motive. Insiders with Motive have #MOM – Motive,
Opportunity & Means to commit any crime, including voter fraud, A motive
can be money, power, revenge, jealousy, political partisanship and so on.
Earlier this year the FBI issued a warning titled “Mitigating Threats Posed by Russian
State-Sponsored Cyber Actors’ Exploitation of Default Multifactor
Authentication Protocol and “PrintNightmare” Vulnerability” encouraging all
organizations to take enable, enforce, and properly configure MFA as well as
prioritize patching of known exploited vulnerabilities. Yet Dr. Anna
Gabrielian, Johns Hopkins anesthesiologist, and Major Jamie Lee Henry, US Army,
Fort Bragg, NC., were indicted for trying to provide medical information about U.S.
military members to the Russian Federation.
The takeaway is that anyone in the election process, from United Postal
Service Workers to, IT workers, Electoral Registration Forms Officials, if not
monitored properly, can create the most damage and we do not see the DOJ/FBI actively
protect against this threat.
US software gives #China its hypersonic edge
Investigative report shows how US software firms put profit before security by selling China #hypersonicweapon test tools
https://asiatimes.com/2022/10/us-software-gives-china-its-hypersonic-edge/
Exhibit A: Inside Threat The Agency’s carelessness in protecting its own agents reveals the cynicism of the US government’s treatment of whistleblowers
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/10/18/the-cias-hypocrisy-on-sources-and-methods/
It’s been two years since 51 intelligence agents interfered with an election — they still won’t apologize
https://nypost-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/nypost.com/2022/10/19/its-been-two-years-since-51-intelligence-agents-interfered-with-an-election-they-still-wont-apologize/amp/
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