Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has backtracked on Attorney General William Barr's remarks, saying China, not Russia, is the most aggressive in trying to sow discord in US politics.
Biden told reporters in Delaware on Friday
that he did not agree that China was the biggest threat to the presidential
election and that such an assessment was inconsistent with his intelligence
briefing.
Biden later added: "There are a lot
of countries around the world that I think would be happy to see our election
destabilized. Don't lose, "he added." I just want to make it clear. I
believe that any country that engages in any activity to represent or influence
the US election It is a direct violation of our sovereignty. "
US Intel: Russia is working to defeat
Biden. China and Iran prefer Trump's defeat
A new intelligence review released last
month found that Russia was working to "discredit" Biden, while China
viewed Trump as "unexpected" and preferred to run for re-election.
Will not get The National Counterintelligence and Security Center also
concluded that Iran was trying to weaken Trump.
Speaking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer on
Wednesday, Barr said he believes Russia is more aggressive than Russia or Iran
in trying to interfere in US elections.
"Because I've seen intelligence.
That's what I've come to," Barr added in an interview.
"He's a very good attorney general,
but he's a really bad intelligence officer," Biden said of the bar.
Biden also questioned why Trump did not
run against Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the results should be
against any country that tries to represent the United States in the election.
"What is he so afraid of?" Biden
said. "If I were president of the United States, the answer would
be."
The Trump administration has stepped up
its rhetoric against China. The president has accused China of spreading the coronavirus, while Justice Department officials have accused the Chinese
government of trying to spy on and steal US intellectual property and trade
secrets.
A two-way report by the Senate
Intelligence Committee confirms former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's
findings that Russia tried to block the 2016 race in favor of Trump, although
the investigation found evidence of a conspiracy with the Kremlin. Not found
Asked by CNN if he accepted the
committee's findings, Barr said he did not dispute the notion that Russia had
tried to interfere in the election.
Biden called on Trump's North Carolina
voters on Friday to double-check their state's electoral system. State
officials say voting twice is illegal.
"It's a serious matter. It's a
serious crime here in Delaware," Biden said. "It's all designed to
create so much chaos that the rest of the election is blown up. It undermines
the legitimacy of our democratic process. And it's dangerous."
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