US Intelligence: Russian interference in US elections ongoing

Director of US National Intelligence Dan Coats said that Russia is continuing to pursue its efforts to interfere in the US political system.

"We continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to try to weaken and divide the United States," Coats said from the White House briefing room. "The President has specifically directed us to make the matter of election meddling and securing our election process a top priority."

"The intelligence community continues to be concerned about the threats of upcoming US elections, both the midterms and the presidential elections of 2020," CNN cited Coats as saying. 

Coats said that while Russian efforts to influence and drive a wedge in US democracy are "pervasive" and "ongoing," he said that US intelligence so far believes the Russian influence campaign is less robust than in 2016.

"It is not the kind of robust campaign that we assessed in the 2016 election," Coats said. "They stepped up their game big time in 2016. We have not seen that kind of robust effort from them so far."