RELEASE: Rep. Gottheimer, House Intelligence Committee Democrats Warn Against Weaponizing Declassified Intelligence Ahead of Trump Address

Resources / Press Share on RELEASE: Rep. Gottheimer, House Intelligence Committee Democrats Warn Against Weaponizing Declassified Intelligence Ahead of Trump Address Jul 16, 2026 Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Thursday, July 16, 2026, ahead of President Trump’s primetime address in which he is expected to revive claims of fraud and foreign interference in the 2020 election, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), joined by House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Democrats, sent a letter to Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Kash Patel, and NSA Director Joshua Rudd, warning against any effort to selectively declassify intelligence to mislead the American public about the security of the 2020 election. The letter notes that the 2020 election was among the most scrutinized in American history — litigated in multiple courts — and that the Intelligence Community’s own 2021 declassified assessment found no indication that any foreign actor altered the election process. They also note that no intelligence suggesting there was interference has ever been provided to the Committee, despite requests for updates. See the full text of the letter here . “The facts of the 2020 election have long been settled. The Intelligence Community assessed in a declassified Intelligence Community Assessment from 2021 that, “We have no indications that any foreign actor attempted to interfere in the 2020 US elections by altering any technical aspect of the voting process.” No intelligence to the contrary has ever been provided to the Committee, despite repeated requests for updates,” the Intelligence Committee members wrote. The Intelligence Committee members continued, “The President is within his authority to declassify intelligence, but if he does so in a way that is intended to mislead Americans about the most basic foundation of our democracy and that may compromise sources and methods, it is incumbent on you to stand up for the agencies you lead.” The Committee Democrats also raised concern that the Intelligence Community is now more than two months late delivering a statutorily required report on foreign threats to the 2026 midterm elections — even as it appears focused on relitigating the settled facts of the 2020 election. The letter reminds the Directors of their obligation to keep the Committee fully and currently informed of any new intelligence related to election security, and calls on them to ensure that any declassification is coordinated across the intelligence community and shared with the congressional intelligence committees before public release. ### Share on