Did US Intel Agencies Hide Chinese Interference In 2020 Election From ‘Vulgarian’ Trump?
Posted For: Layla Godey
Comments contained in a January 2021 report by intelligence analytic ombudsman Barry Zulauf suggest that some intelligence officials minimized signs of Chinese involvement in the 2020 U.S. election. The report indicates that certain analysts were hesitant to highlight evidence of Chinese activity because they disagreed with President Trump and opposed the administration’s policies toward China.
Reporting by Just the News states that there was credible information indicating that cyber hackers linked to the Chinese government, along with Chinese-run social media troll operations, attempted to influence the 2020 presidential election. According to the report, these efforts were aimed at weakening Trump during the race against Joe Biden.
Zulauf, a veteran intelligence officer, wrote in his review that analysts focusing on China appeared reluctant to classify Beijing’s actions as influence or interference. He noted that some analysts resisted pushing their findings forward because they believed the information could be used to support policy decisions they personally disagreed with. In the report, he explained that their position effectively amounted to not wanting intelligence about China used to back policies they opposed.
The FBI found evidence of China interfering in the 2020 election, “Fake driver’s licenses and fake ballots so they can help Joe Biden win”
“What does the FBI do with that one? — We’re gonna throw it in the garbage can”
Democrats rigged the 2020 electionpic.twitter.com/knEppBu5xa
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) March 10, 2026
The report also included a remark from an analyst interviewed later in 2021. That individual reportedly said they did not want their work sent to the White House because it could be used by the president to justify policies toward China that the analyst personally disagreed with.
Zulauf further highlighted differences in how intelligence analysts examined activities by Russia and China. According to his findings, analysts studying China appeared more reluctant to elevate their assessments compared with those analyzing Russia, again citing disagreements with the administration’s policies.
His review also concluded that claims of election interference by Russia and China were evaluated using different standards. The report stated that because intelligence collection and insights into each country varied, the terms “influence” and “interference,” along with the levels of confidence attached to those judgments, were not applied consistently by the two groups of analysts.
HUGE: China infiltrated voter data in the 2020 election according to Biden-era intelligence. This goes hand in hand with the fake IDs seized at a Chicago airport, the fake ballots found, and the software companies, election machine parts, and the servers around the globe tied to… pic.twitter.com/XYV9hYqKaG
— The SCIF (@TheSCIF) March 16, 2026
Zulauf ultimately determined that these terms were used inconsistently across the intelligence community and wrote that failing to clearly explain the definitions did not meet established tradecraft standards.
Just the News also reported that the findings about Chinese involvement may relate to other incidents tied to the 2020 election. These include the seizure of counterfeit identification documents at a Chicago airport, the discovery of fake ballots, and concerns involving election software companies, components used in voting machines, and computer servers around the world that were reportedly connected to China.
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