Dan Coats: ‘We Expect Russia to Continue Using Propaganda to… Exacerbate Social and Political Fissures in the U.S.’

COATS: “Next is Russia, where President Putin will continue to rely on assertive foreign policies to shape outcomes beyond Russia’s borders. Putin will resort to more authoritarian tactics to maintain control amid challenges to his rule. With respect to Russian influence efforts, let me be clear. The Russians utilize this tool because it’s relatively cheap, it’s low risk, it offers what they perceive as plausible deniability, and it’s proven to be effective at sowing division. We expect Russia to continue using propaganda, social media, false flag personas, sympathetic spokesmen, and other means to influence, to try to build on its wide range of operations and exacerbate social and political fissures in the United States. There should be no doubt that Russia perceived that its past efforts as successful and views the 2018 U.S. midterm elections as a potential target for Russian influence operations.”