The Trump administration has reportedly abandoned key security bodies responsible for investigating direct threats to US elections from foreign actors and domestic terrorists. This information comes from former officials and a recent report.
Between 2021 and 2024, the justice department's election threats taskforce prosecuted 21 cases, including instances of harassment, intimidation, and threats against election workers. However, the taskforce appears to have gone quiet since then. Nikki Fisher, former chief election security officer for the Oregon secretary of state, stated that no new cases have been prosecuted, and the taskforce seems to be defunct in practice.
While the administration has focused on unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud by noncitizens, other credible election threats may have been overlooked, according to former officials. The justice department, when asked about the taskforce's status, referred to recent media releases detailing indictments of foreign nationals on charges of election fraud and stolen identities.
Trump administration officials reportedly began disbanding election investigative groups within the justice department, the office of the director of national intelligence, and other agencies shortly after the president started his second term. This included the elimination of the FBI’s foreign influence taskforce and the defunding of a Cisa training program for local officials.