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FBI Director Kash Patel announced the declassification of documents alleging Chinese involvement in producing fraudulent driver’s licenses intended for fake mail-in ballots supporting President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Mr. Patel made the announcement on X and immediately turned the documents over to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley for review.
The FBI intelligence report, originally from the Albany, New York field office and dated September 25, 2020, detailed concerns that Beijing mass-produced fake American driver’s licenses to influence the 2020 election through phony mail-in ballots. The report was subsequently recalled with instructions to destroy all copies and remove it from computer systems, reportedly to re-interview the source.
According to the allegations, the Chinese Communist Party planned to create voter identities for Chinese residents in the United States, enabling them to vote via fraudulent mail-in ballots supporting former President Biden. The FBI learned of this effort in August 2020, but intelligence reports were recalled for unspecified reasons. The plot allegedly involved manufacturing fake driver’s licenses and shipping them to the United States specifically to facilitate election fraud.
Sen. Grassley has requested additional documentation from the FBI, including records related to the report’s recall and re-interview process. He also questioned why former FBI Director Christopher Wray ordered the report’s destruction. The Iowa Republican had previously raised concerns about fake driver’s licenses in the 2020 election and pressed for further FBI investigation.
Customs and Border Protection data supports concerns about fraudulent documents, reporting 1,513 seizures containing fake documents in the first half of 2020, including nearly 20,000 counterfeit U.S. driver’s licenses at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Most shipments originated from Hong Kong and China, with many licenses designed for college-age students.
Some fake Michigan licenses were particularly sophisticated, featuring working barcodes.
The allegations come amid ongoing claims by President Trump that the 2020 election was “rigged” against him. Mr. Biden won the election by securing key swing states including Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin by margins of 10,000 to 20,000 votes.
It remains unclear how fake driver’s licenses could circumvent existing mail-in ballot security measures, which typically include signature verification against voter registration records.
Former FBI Director Wray had previously acknowledged foreign interference attempts in 2020 but stated they didn’t materially compromise vote count integrity.
This revelation follows separate Chinese interference in the 2024 election, where intelligence agencies disclosed that China accessed American telecommunications systems and obtained unauthorized access to both Trump and Harris campaign officials’ communications.
Read more: FBI intelligence links China to alleged interference in 2020 election
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