WAPO: "“The threats that we’re getting now are mostly from our own government,” Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson told The Post earlier this month.”
U.S. officials privately advise states fearing Trump election meddling
Their private efforts have reached governors, election stewards and lawmakers from both parties who are increasingly alarmed that the administration may interfere in the midterms.
October 20, 2026
By Noah Robertson
A small group of U.S. national security officials has been discreetly advising state governments and congressional lawmakers on how to prepare for the possibility that the Trump administration will attempt to interfere in November’s midterm elections, according to people involved in the effort. The group includes about 10 current and former officials with experience in the Defense Department, some of whom have previously focused on countering authoritarianism abroad. Their efforts are motivated not by political bias, they say, but a growing sense of alarm that President Donald Trump will harm American democracy by undermining the integrity of the vote to keep the Republican Party in power.
Over the past several months, the group has consulted with officials from 10 states, including governors, election officials and members of the House and Senate from both political parties who share a fear of federal intervention, two people involved in the effort said.
The effort, which has not been previously reported, focuses on states and jurisdictions where tightly contested races will determine control of Congress for the remainder of Trump’s presidency. Members of the group remain in contact with congressional staffs, and at least one state has continued to meet with them as it works to address potential vulnerabilities.
“All of them have said we’re concerned but we don’t know what to do,” one member of the group said of its meetings with lawmakers.
“The outcome that we hope for is that states would be prepared for any contingencies should they arise,” the person continued.This report is based on interviews, conducted over several months, with two officials involved in the effort. They spoke on the condition of anonymity and that the lawmakers and state leaders with whom the group has met not be identified either, for fear of retaliation. The Washington Post also reviewed some of the documents the group prepared for its meetings.
Trump has long claimed that a “deep state” of government officials is working to undermine his presidency. Since returning to office, he has undertaken an expansive effort to fire career civil servants and solicit political loyalty from the bureaucracy.
Lauren Bis, a White House spokesperson, dismissed the group’s concerns and blamed Democrats for not supporting stricter election laws.
The Trump administration, she said in a statement, “is taking decisive action to protect our elections including prosecuting election crimes, strengthening election infrastructure security, and protecting vulnerable voters from fraud and coercion.”The president, Bis added, “is making clear that anyone who illegally votes in our elections will be held accountable.”
In their discussions ahead of the midterms, the national security officials have detailed ways the Trump administration could use its federal powers to sway the upcoming vote, covering categories that include legal and illegal activity. Among their concerns are that the administration could deploy troops or immigration agents to polling stations or seek to nullify results based on claims of voter fraud.
Their meetings with lawmakers have mainly focused on raising awareness, especially among Republicans, of the potential for interference and on counseling them to be prepared to publicly oppose any such efforts. With state governments, they’ve focused more on how to harden election protocols that could be exploited by the federal government, the two members of the group said.
Their warnings are based on personal analysis of the administration’s activities and public statements made by the president and his allies — not access to specific government intelligence or information to which they have access because of their positions within federal agencies, members of the group said. They described the meetings as a way to help state and federal officials secure the election and emphasized that their work has occurred outside of their official capacity as government employees.
Still, their efforts indicate an extraordinary level of concern that Trump may use his authority to influence the election or challenge the results, similar to his extended campaign to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election that culminated with a raid on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump’s approval rating is at record lows only weeks ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms, with voters frustrated about the cost of living and the war in Iran. Democrats appear likely to flip the House and possibly the Senate, and have vowed to intensify oversight of the administration if they regain power.
Election officials, including some Republicans, have decried efforts by the Trump administration to assert federal control over a process that the Constitution entrusts to the states. Some GOP-led states, such as Utah, have refused to comply with the administration’s efforts to access their voter rolls.
“The threats that we’re getting now are mostly from our own government,” Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson told The Post earlier this month.