US Presidential Debate: Biden warns any country interfering in election 'will pay a price'

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden warned that any country that interferes in the US elections “will pay a price” if he gets elected as the commander-in-chief of the United States. During the final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Biden said it is “overwhelmingly clear” that Russia, China, and Iran has been involved in the US election.

“Any country, no matter who it is, that interferes in American elections will pay a price...They will pay a price if I am elected. They are interfering with American sovereignty, that’s what’s going on right now,” Biden said. 

The former vice-president commented on the election security a day after Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed that Iran and Russia have obtained voter information ahead of the presidential elections to influence public opinion. During a news conference on elections security, the duo said that both countries are actively pursuing disinformation campaigns to impact the US elections.

Ratcliffe told the news conference that President Donald Trump has instructed the intelligence and law-enforcement communities to ensure that the 2020 elections are the “safest and most secure in our nation’s history.” Elaborating on the threat, the Director of National Intelligence said that Iran’s “spoofed emails”, claimed to be sent by the Proud Boys, was designed incite social unrest and damage electoral chances of Trump.

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Russia's opposition to Biden

Last month, the director of US counterintelligence had said that foreign states will continue to use “covert and overt influence measures” in their attempts to sway the voters’ preferences and perspectives, singling out Russia, China and Iran. NCSC Director William Evanina stressed that Russia’s opposition to Biden is consistent with its public criticism of him when he was Vice President in the Obama Administration.

“Some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump’s candidacy on social media and Russian television,” Evanina said in a statement. 

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