Sunday, 25 October 2020_The controversial issue of foreign countries meddling in the US election has once again came to the spotlight in Washington after US Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe accused Russia and Iran of seeking to interfere in the presidential election on November 3.
The claim was that Iranians covertly posed online as members of the extreme-right Proud Boys group to intimidate Democratic voters in four states into changing their party affiliations. But analysts believe that the US accusation is preposterous and absurd.
Iran has summoned the Swiss envoy who represents US interests in the Islamic Republic over the issue. It rejected the US claim as baseless and false. Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said it makes no difference for Tehran who wins the US election.
After Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election, a Democratic Party narrative was propagated that Russian meddling was the primary reason. A wave of Russophobia reigned for three years, but despite enormous official investigations, no American was ever convicted for collusion or election conspiracy crimes.
Since then Washington has tried to blame other countries for shaking domestic confidence regarding the integrity of their vote and their election process. Analysts say the public’s lack of confidence in the upcoming vote are due to domestic flaws and issues, and also that the goals of such fear-mongering campaigns are far more deadly than many may realize.
Many believe that US officials brought up the accusation to deflect attention away from their problems at home, especially the unprecedented economic and social catastrophe as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.
Your Comment