The US president said in a statement that the development of digital technology in recent years “has created significant vulnerabilities and increased the scope and intensity of the threat of foreign interference”
According to TASS, a statement released by the White House press office on Tuesday says that US President Joe Biden has extended for another year the executive order that provides for unilateral sanctions against foreign entities and individuals for interfering in US elections.
On the basis of this executive order, the US has on several occasions imposed sanctions against individuals and entities from Russia in connection with its alleged interference in the US election process. Moscow has repeatedly rejected the findings of attempts to influence the US election.
“I am extending for one year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13848 due to the threat of foreign interference in and undermining of public confidence in US elections”, – the US leader said in a released statement. – “While there was no evidence that a foreign power changed the vote or [influenced] the vote count in any US election, foreign governments have historically sought to benefit from the US free and open political system.”
The statement notes that the development of digital technology in recent years has “created significant vulnerabilities and increased the scale and intensity of the threat of foreign interference”.
“The ability of those outside the US to interfere and undermine public confidence in US elections, including through unauthorised access to electoral and campaign infrastructure and through the covert dissemination of propaganda and disinformation, continues to pose an extraordinary and unusual threat to US national security and foreign policy. For this reason, the state of emergency declared on 12 September 2018 should be extended”, – said Biden.