Warner and Himes say a classified briefing showed Russia running a misinformation campaign against Democratic candidates

The briefing was one the two lawmakers asked for. Warner and Himes, who sit in the Gang of Eight that oversees the intelligence agencies, requested an election security briefing from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, and they told reporters on Wednesday that what they heard was familiar. Because the briefing was classified, they said, they could not lay out the material itself.

"And the state of play, I would argue, is that, you know, Russia, similar to prior occasions, is going after Democrats," Warner said. He pointed to news reports that Democrat James Talarico, running for the Senate in Texas, and Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, seeking reelection, "in particular are being dinged" by fake advertisements created with artificial intelligence. Himes said Moscow's methods have not changed. "The Russians are kind of throwing everything out there," he said. "Chaos, you know, don't trust your voting machines." He added that there was "no reason to believe" China has stopped its own targeted influence efforts.

The White House answered through spokeswoman Lauren Bis. "President Trump has done more than any other President to ensure we have free and fair elections," she said in a statement. "While extreme Democrats and the media continue to dismiss concerns about voter fraud, the Trump Administration is taking decisive action to protect our elections including prosecuting election crimes, strengthening election infrastructure security, and protecting vulnerable voters from fraud and coercion." The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and neither did the Russian Embassy. Moscow has denied meddling in American elections in the past. Reuters noted that the claims surfaced as Trump has eased economic sanctions on Russia in recent weeks and pressed Ukraine to end its war with Russia.