President Donald Trump suggested on Twitter that China ‘may be’ responsible for the recently announced SolarWinds cyber attack, adding that “Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant” when anything happens, because mainstream media outlets have “financial reasons” to not cover China’s potential involvement.
President Trump also said that the cyber attack could have impacted “our ridiculous voting machines” during the 2020 US election, adding that the election was a “corrupted embarrassment for the USA.”
This comes after several days of the mainstream media repeatedly blaming Russia or Russian actors for the devastating attack.
….discussing the possibility that it may be China (it may!). There could also have been a hit on our ridiculous voting machines during the election, which is now obvious that I won big, making it an even more corrupted embarrassment for the USA. @DNI_Ratcliffe @SecPompeo
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2020
National File confirmed on December 17 that Dominion Voting Systems does in fact use SolarWinds products.
Multiple sources have confirmed Dominion Voting Systems utilizes products from SolarWinds, a recently hacked software company that provides IT service management to businesses, the executive branch, intelligence services, and the US military. Dominion denies using SolarWinds products included in the hack.
SolarWinds was hacked in March by who the ODNI, FBI, and CISA refer to as “malicious actors.” The breach of the SolarWinds’ Orion platform was announced this month, just six days before SolarWinds investors sold hundreds of millions of dollars in stock.
The Daily Dot claims that a Dominion Voting Systems spokesperson said “Dominion Voting Systems does not now — nor has it ever — used the SolarWinds Orion Platform, which was subject of the DHS emergency directive dated December 12, 2020.”
SolarWinds ties to China are beginning to make their way into public view amid the announcement of the cyber breach that reportedly struck the company in March. SolarWinds board director Kenneth Hao “led the establishment” of a $75 billion investment firm into China, as National File reported.
According to his biography on the Silver Lake website, Kenneth Hao “led the establishment of the firm’s offices in China and Japan and led Silver Lake’s investments in Alibaba Group” from 2008-2011.
Silver Lake also notes that “Hao currently serves as a director on the boards” of several companies, including SolarWinds.
According to the Washington Post, SolarWinds investors traded a total of $280 million in stock before the official announcement of the breach, raising questions about potential insider trading. Silver Lake sold $158 million in SolarWinds shares six days before the SolarWinds breach was announced.
Another SolarWinds board director named Seth Boro, bought JD Power from a mysterious Chinese company known as XIO Group for $1.8 billion months before the SolarWinds breach in 2019, as National File reported.
More connections between SolarWinds board members and China continue to emerge as the aftermath of the devastating SolarWinds hack continues to unfold.
SolarWinds director Seth Boro, a man who was instrumental in starting the private equity firm known as Thoma Bravo, “currently serves on the board of directors of several software and technology service companies in which certain investment funds advised by Thoma Bravo hold an investment,” according to his biography on the SolarWinds website.
In 2019, Thoma Bravo bought JD Power for $1.88 billion from XIO Group, a mysterious Chinese company based in Hong Kong.
DNI John Ratcliffe delayed the official report on foreign election interference due to new intelligence surrounding Chinese operations information, as news of the SolarWinds breach became public. If the federal government can prove that China, or any other foreign government, interfered in the 2020 election, it could provide justification for President Trump to enact his 2018 Executive Order, as National File reported.
On August 7, 2020, NCSC Director William Evanina issued an “Election Threat Update For The American Public,” in which he stated that China, Russia, and Iran sought to “compromise our election infrastructure for a range of possible purposes,” This included “interfering with the voting process, stealing sensitive data, or calling into question the validity of the election results.”
“CHINA – We assess that China prefers that President Trump – whom Beijing sees as unpredictable – does not win reelection. China has been expanding its influence efforts ahead of November 2020 to shape the policy environment in the United States, pressure political figures it views as opposed to China’s interests, and deflect and counter criticism of China. Although China will continue to weigh the risks and benefits of aggressive action, its public rhetoric over the past few months has grown increasingly critical of the current Administration’s COVID-19 response, closure of China’s Houston Consulate, and actions on other issues. For example, it has harshly criticized the Administration’s statements and actions on Hong Kong, TikTok, the legal status of the South China Sea, and China’s efforts to dominate the 5G market. Beijing recognizes that all of these efforts might affect the presidential race.”
It should also be noted that members of US military intelligence, including prominent military officials like former Lieutenant General Thomas McInerney, have asserted that China has been accessing Dominion servers to “manipulate elections, including the most recent US general election in 2020,” as National File reported.