Declassified CIA Files Suggest Smartmatic Helped Manipulate Venezuelan Elections and Raise U.S. Security Concerns

The CIA has made public a set of previously classified reports that claim Smartmatic, the Venezuelan electronic-voting firm now headquartered in the United Kingdom, was awarded a $121 million contract by Hugo Chávez to create pre-programmed machines designed to alter election outcomes. Although the agency stopped short of proving the fraud was carried out, it labeled the company a "mild threat to national security." The disclosure revives controversy surrounding Smartmatic’s role in U.S. elections, where it recently won a contract to provide voting equipment for Orange County, California, one of the nation’s largest districts.

President Donald Trump’s former adviser Rudy Giuliani had earlier alleged that Smartmatic’s machines were rigged to boost Joe Biden’s vote total, leading Smartmatic and Dominion Systems to file defamation suits that have resulted in large settlements, including a $750 million payout by one outlet to Dominion and a near-bankruptcy settlement for Giuliani. Many of Smartmatic’s lawsuits against journalists and media outlets are still awaiting court decisions. The documents were released alongside a trove of material on Chinese hacking of U.S. voter data, underscoring ongoing concerns about foreign influence in American elections.