Intel chief still concerned on cyber threats to elections

FILE PHOTO: Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats arrives for a closed senators-only Capitol Hill briefing on election security at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., August 22, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

(Reuters) - The U.S. director of national intelligence said on Tuesday he remained concerned about cyber threats emanating from several countries against the upcoming U.S. elections, without naming any particular countries. Dan Coats, the intelligence director, said in a speech at the Intelligence and National Security Summit in Maryland that this year's November midterm elections were threatened, as well as the 2020 presidential elections and beyond. "Our interconnectedness makes it easier for our adversaries to use disruptive information operations to sow discord and to undermine our democracy and our values, as we have seen with foreign influence efforts by Russia and others," Coats said. (Reporting by Makini Brice and Mary Milliken; Editing by James Dalgleish)