ODNI Appoints Two Officials to Lead Intelligence Coordination on 2026 Election Threats

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has appointed Dave Mastro and James Cangialosi as joint election threats executives to coordinate intelligence community efforts regarding the 2026 midterm elections. This appointment resolves months of uncertainty about leadership for election security amid significant structural changes within the ODNI. The Foreign Malign Influence Center, established in 2022, saw its responsibilities shifted to the National Counterintelligence and Security Center and the National Intelligence Council following an overhaul driven by constitutional concerns over social media coordination. Mastro, from the National Intelligence Council, and Cangialosi, deputy director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, will oversee the analysis of foreign interference, including cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns. The move occurs under the administration of President Donald Trump and DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who have faced scrutiny over their election integrity initiatives. Concurrently, Democrats and state officials have expressed concern over reduced federal support, particularly workforce cuts at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. These appointments aim to ensure robust briefings and protection of election integrity during the upcoming midterm cycle, despite the absence of foreign election threat descriptions in the recent annual worldwide threats assessment.