{"id":11400,"date":"2026-05-15T02:35:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T02:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/odni-assigns-two-to-coordinate-spy-agencies-on-election-security\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T02:35:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T02:35:18","slug":"odni-assigns-two-to-coordinate-spy-agencies-on-election-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/odni-assigns-two-to-coordinate-spy-agencies-on-election-security\/","title":{"rendered":"ODNI assigns two to coordinate spy agencies on election security"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Two leaders have been tapped by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to\u00a0coordinate\u00a0spy agencies’ efforts to track and thwart threats\u00a0to the 2026 midterm elections, according to a congressional source and a second person familiar with the matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dave Mastro serves on the National Intelligence Council, which uses intelligence-community findings to produce\u00a0intelligence assessments, including for Congress and senior policymakers. James Cangialosi serves as deputy director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mastro and Cangialosi are part of \u201can expansive team of professionals at ODNI focused on carrying out President [Donald] Trump\u2019s and [Director of National Intelligence Tulsi] Gabbard\u2019s election integrity efforts,\u201d ODNI spokesperson Olivia Coleman said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The office is also \u201cproviding robust briefings, on par with efforts traditionally carried out during election years, to protect election integrity this midterm cycle,\u201d Coleman said.<\/p>\n

It had been unclear for months whether ODNI had named election-threats executives.\u00a0Both sources requested anonymity to communicate the appointments.<\/p>\n

The Record<\/em> first reported the appointments.<\/p>\n

The Foreign Malign Influence Center was established in 2022 to coordinate spy agencies\u2019 efforts to identify and assess foreign influence and disinformation threats against elections. But ODNI argued that the FMIC raised constitutional concerns about coordination with social media companies. Last summer, an ODNI\u00a0reorganization\u00a0shifted many of the center\u2019s responsibilities to the National Counterintelligence and Security Center and the National Intelligence Council<\/p>\n

The election-threats executive\u2014created in 2019, during Trump\u2019s first term\u2014typically oversees an \u201cExperts Group\u201d that analyzes intelligence on foreign interference efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Election threats can include cyberattacks on voting systems, foreign influence operations, and disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining public trust in elections.<\/p>\n

Gabbard has faced criticism over her involvement in the White House\u2019s broader review of election-security outcomes, including scrutiny from Democrats tied to her presence during an FBI raid on a Georgia election office and ODNI-led examinations of voting machines in Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n

For the first time in nearly a decade, this year\u2019s annual intelligence assessment of worldwide threats to the U.S. did not mention\u00a0foreign threats to\u00a0elections.<\/p>\n

Trump has continued to falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen from him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The appointments also come amid broader changes to the federal government\u2019s election-security apparatus ahead of the 2026 midterms. In recent months, Democrats and state election officials have raised concerns about cuts to election-focused programs at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which has lost around a third of its workforce in the last year.\n\n<\/svg><\/p>\n<\/div>\n