Trump says these documents prove his false claims of election fraud. Here's what they really say

President Donald Trump presented a collection of documents during a national address, which his allies promoted as definitive proof of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Trump described these revelations as shocking, alleging Chinese interference to undermine his candidacy and a cover-up by the "deep state," stating, "Americans were blatantly lied to about the security of our election infrastructure."

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Americans were blatantly lied to about the security of our election infrastructure.

However, a review of the newly declassified reports, intelligence analyses, and correspondence by The Associated Press found no confirmation of these claims. Many pages were so heavily redacted that their findings were indecipherable, while others outlined vulnerabilities that have been publicly known for years. Crucially, there was no evidence presented that China or any other foreign entity manipulated the 2020 vote or any previous election.

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The White House promised a bombshell, and they delivered a dud.

Experts described the released material as a "dud." David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, who attended a White House briefing on the documents, stated, "There was absolutely nothing here that was news, nothing here that even calls into question past elections and certainly not the 2020 election."

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There was absolutely nothing here that was news, nothing here that even calls into question past elections and certainly not the 2020 election.

Regarding specific claims, Trump asserted that China had acquired 220 million U.S. voter files. While intelligence assessments indicated China's efforts to influence the 2020 campaign were documented, the released records did not provide evidence that China actually used this data to manipulate votes or alter election outcomes. Publicly available voter files are extensive and can be purchased by campaigns. The documents did reveal internal debates within the intelligence community about characterizing Beijing's motives, with some noting China's steps to "denigrate" Trump, a perspective already reflected in post-election intelligence assessments.

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Starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People's Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history, resulting in China's illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files.