Biden: Russians will continue election meddling in 2018

Former Vice President Joe Biden predicted Tuesday that Russia will likely continue its election meddling into the 2018 midterms, saying their effort to influence the 2016 presidential election was “not an isolated incident.” 

“Russia’s attack on our election was not an isolated incident,” Biden said at a Chicago Council on Global Affairs event, saying that the nation’s efforts to influence American democracy “was purposeful, and it’s ongoing.”

“The efforts to spew disinformation, infiltrate our networks, corrupt our political institutions, they continue and we’ll surely see this kick into full gear as we head into another critical congressional cycle in 2018,” he said.

Biden’s comments come as new reports are surfacing on Russia’s incitement of political violence in the U.S. through social media during and after the 2016 campaign, with Kremlin-backed accounts stirring tensions over racial and ideological issues.

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Social media sites are now producing more information on the influence of Russian propaganda that used their sites as a platform to engage American voters, as Facebook announced this week that Russia-linked content on its site may have reached as many as 146 million people before Election Day 2016. 

Facebook, Google, and Twitter on Wednesday having a second day of hearings on Capitol Hill in which lawmakers from multiple congressional committees are questioning the tech giants’ abilities to prevent interference by foreign actors.

Members from both sides of the aisle in the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday took turns ripping top lawyers from the companies over how their firms have responded to Russian meddling.

– This report was updated at 2:00 p.m.