U.S. President Joe Biden has extended by another year an executive order that envisages unilateral sanctions against foreign organizations and individuals accused of electoral intervention, according to a statement released by the White House.
On several occasions in the past, the document served as a basis for imposing sanctions on organizations and individuals from Russia over alleged election meddling. Moscow has strongly and consistently rejected all accusations of attempts to interfere into the electoral process in the U.S.
"I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13848 with respect to the threat of foreign interference in or undermining public confidence in United States elections," Biden said in a statement, released by the White House on Tuesday.
"Although there has been no evidence of a foreign power altering the outcomes or vote tabulation in any United States election, foreign powers have historically sought to exploit America’s free and open political system," the U.S. president said.
According to the statement, the development of digital technologies in past years "created significant vulnerabilities and magnified the scope and intensity of the threat of foreign interference."
"The ability of persons located, in whole or in substantial part, outside the United States to interfere in or undermine public confidence in United States elections, including through the unauthorized accessing of election and campaign infrastructure or the covert distribution of propaganda and disinformation, continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. For this reason, the national emergency declared on September 12, 2018, must continue in effect beyond September 12, 2021," Biden said.
