'American voters should decide American elections - not Putin': Trump accused of threatening democracy after fresh warnings over Russian interference

Intelligence chief dismissed after alerting Congress to Moscow's threat to 2020 elections

US intelligence officials warned Congress that Russia plans to interfere in 2020 Democratic elections and challenges in November, but officials in Moscow are dismissing the allegations as "paranoid" while Washington leaders condemn Donald Trump's reported efforts to dismiss the threat.

Following a 13 February briefing to the House Intelligence Committee, the president reportedly berated the national intelligence director for allowing the hearing to take place, which allowed his Democratic impeachment foes to hear testimony about foreign interference similar to the Russian efforts at the centre of an investigation in 2016.

That investigation led to the indictments and prosecutions of several of the president's aides and associates, as well as several Russians and Russian companies.

According to the New York Times, the president's allies defended Mr Trump at the hearing as acting intelligence director Joseph Maguire laid out Russian plans to sow chaos and undermine US elections through social media and cyber attacks, among other tools, intended to disrupt the electoral process and stir division among voters preparing to elect the next president and other seats across the US.

On Wednesday, the president announced that Richard Grenell, the current US ambassador to Germany and a staunch supporter of the president, will replace Mr Maguire as acting director.

World news in pictures

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• 1/50 20 February 2020 

  Roger Stone, former advisor to US President Donald Trump arrives at court prior to his sentencing hearing. Trump's longtime aide will be sentenced in a case that has caused a stir in Washington following meddling by the US president and his attorney general. Stone, one of the Republican leader's allies and "oldest friends," was convicted in November of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to cheat in the 2016 election

  AFP via Getty

• 2/50 19 February 2020 

  Members of the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry take cover during a controlled explosion triggering an avalanche for public safety in the Tien Shan mountains outside Almaty, Kazakhstan

  Reuters

• 3/50 18 February 2020 

  Women chant slogans during a demonstration against gender violence outside the National Palace, in Mexico City. Dozens of women protested over the murder of a seven-year-old girl in the Mexican capital, a case that generated anger and outrage. The murder of the minor shocked the country two days after hundreds of women protested in several cities in Mexico over the femicide of Ingrid Escamilla, a 25-year-old woman who was killed by her partner north of the Mexican capital

  AFP via Getty

• 4/50 17 February 2020 

  People gather at the site of a bomb blast in Quetta, Pakistan

  Reuters

• 5/50 16 February 2020 

  Dogs wearing masks are seen at a main shopping area, in downtown Shanghai, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus

  REUTERS

• 6/50 15 February 2020 

  Men dressed in loincloths prepare to snatch a wooden stick called "shingi" tossed by the priest during a naked festival at Saidaiji Temple in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture Japan February 15, 2020. The person who grabs the wooden stick is considered the "luckiest man of the year".

  REUTERS

• 7/50 14 February 2020 

  Squirrels eat treats at a 'Valentine's day party' organised for them by staff in Skopje Zoo, North Macedonia

  Reuters

• 8/50 13 February 2020 

  Internally displaced children stand on snow near tents at a makeshift camp in Azaz, Syria

  Reuters

• 9/50 12 February 2020 

  A model presents a creation from the Marc Jacobs Fall/Winter 2020 collection during New York Fashion Week

  Reuters

• 10/50 11 February 2020 

  Hawaiian surfer Kai Lenny rides a wave during the big waves Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge in Nazare

  AFP via Getty

• 11/50 10 February 2020 

  A worker wears a protective suit as he stands outside an office building while checking people entering in Beijing, China. The number of cases of a deadly new coronavirus rose to more than 40000 in mainland China. The country has continued to lock down the city of Wuhan in an effort to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts have confirmed can be passed from human to human. The number of those who have died from the virus in China climbed to over 900, mostly in Hubei province, and cases have been reported in other countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and several others. The World Health Organization has warned all governments to be on alert and screening has been stepped up at airports around the world. Some countries, including the United States, have put restrictions on Chinese travellers entering and advised their citizens against travel to China

  Getty

• 12/50 9 February 2020 

  South Korean film director Bong Joon Ho poses with the awards, his film Parasite, won at the Oscars. It was named best picture, becoming the first non-English language film to do so

  AFP via Getty

• 13/50 8 February 2020 

  Thailand security forces take cover behind an ambulance as they chase a shooter hidden in a shopping mall after a mass shooting in front of the Terminal 21, in Nakhon Ratchasima

  Reuters

• 14/50 7 February 2020 

  A Palestinian demonstrator hurls stones at Israeli forces as tires burn near the Israeli barrier during a protest against the US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan, in the village of Bilin, West Bank

  Reuters

• 15/50 6 February 2020 

  Two people were killed and dozens injured when a train derailed outside the city of Lodi in Italy

  AFP via Getty

• 16/50 5 February 2020 

  Health teams and fire brigade crews surround a passenger plane which split into three pieces after it skidded off the runway at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Turkey

  Anadolu Agency via Getty

• 17/50 4 February 2020 

  Sri Lanka's military march with national flags during the 72nd independence day ceremony, in Colombo

  Reuters

• 18/50 3 February 2020 

  Refugees and migrants confront riot police during a demonstration outside the Kara Tepe camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, February 3, 2020

  Reuters

• 19/50 2 February 2020 

  An Iraqi demonstrator sits amid burning tires blocking a road during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq

  Reuters

• 20/50 1 February 2020 

  Horses panic as a spot fire runs through the property of Lawrence and Clair Cowie near Canberra, Australia. The couple stayed to defend their home, with the spot fire destroying part of the property. Chief Minister Andrew Barr declared a State of Emergency on Friday, as the Orroral Valley bushfire continues to burn out of control

  Getty

• 21/50 31 January 2020 

  Stefan Kraft soars through the air during a qualifying session for the men's large hill individual competition at the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup event in Sapporo, Japan

  EPA

• 22/50 30 January 2020 

  Commuters with protective facemasks wait to board a canal boat at Pratunam Pier in Bangkok. A Thai surgical mask factory, producing 10 million masks a month, increased working hours to cope with the rising demand following the outbreak of the coronavirus in China

  AFP via Getty

• 23/50 29 January 2020 

  An Israeli soldier fires teargas towards Palestinian protestors during a demonstration in al-Aroub Palestinian refugee camp, between the West Bank towns of Hebron and Bethlehem

  AFP via Getty

• 24/50 28 January 2020 

  Firefighters with their face painted with the movie character 'Joker', participate in a demonstration against the pension reforms and for better work conditions in Paris

  EPA

• 25/50 27 January 2020 

  Flowers outside Bryant Gymnasium at Lower Merion High School, in Philadelphia, as people pay their respects after basketball legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash

  Reuters

• 26/50 26 January 2020 

  US singer-songwriter Lizzo performs onstage during the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles

  AFP via Getty

• 27/50 25 January 2020 

  A Lebanese anti-government protester in makeshift protective gear stands under a water jet as security forces move to disperse a demonstration near government headquarters at the Grand Serail, in downtown Beirut

  AFP via Getty

• 28/50 24 January 2020 

  A protester holds a sign reading "On the move" mocking the LREM party's slogan during a demonstration in Paris, as part as a nationwide multi-sector strike against the French government's pensions overhaul

  AFP via Getty

• 29/50 23 January 2020 

  A Chinese police officer wears a protective mask as he stands guard next to an ad before the annual Spring Festival at a Beijing railway station. The number of cases of a deadly new coronavirus rose to over 500 in mainland China as health officials locked down the city of Wuhan in an effort to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts have been confirmed can be passed from human to human

  Getty

• 30/50 22 January 2020 

  Visitors wear face masks as they sit inside the Venetian casino hotel resort in Macau, after the former Portuguese colony reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus that originated from Wuhan in China.

  AFP via Getty

• 31/50 21 January 2020 

  Marine One helicopter with US President Donald Trump on board arrives for the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland

  Reuters

• 32/50 20 January 2020 

  A man walks between burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq

  Reuters

• 33/50 19 January 2020 

  Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, (second row, left to right) arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit, African Union (AU) Committee Chairman Moussa Faki, European Council President Charles Michel, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pose for a family picture during a Peace summit on Libya at the Chancellery in Berlin

  AFP via Getty

• 34/50 18 January 2020 

  Sweden's Jennie-Lee Burmansson competing in the final run of the Freestyle Skiing Womens Freeski Slopestyle at the Leysin Park in Leysin, during the 2020 Lausanne Winter Youth Olympic Games

  AFP via Getty

• 35/50 17 January 2020 

  Firefighters take part in a demonstration to protest against the attacks against them during interventions in Strasbourg. During the New Year's Eve night in Strasbourg, two firefighters were notably injured following a projectile thrown onto the window of their truck. Last weekend, three firefighters were victims of a stabbing by a person they came to rescue in the outskirts of the city.

  AFP via Getty

• 36/50 16 January 2020 

  People enjoy the frozen lake of Houhai in Beijing ahead of the Lunar New Year of the Rat. - The Lunar New Year falls on January 25 this year and marks the Year of the Rat.

  AFP via Getty

• 37/50 15 January 2020 

  Taiwanese soldiers operate a CM-11 battle tank during an exercise at a military base in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan

  AFP via Getty

• 38/50 14 January 2020 

  A resident who briefly returned home to retrieve belongings carries figurines of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary in Laurel, Batangas province, Philippines. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert level to four out of five, warning that a hazardous eruption could take place anytime, as authorities have evacuated tens of thousands of people from the area

  Getty

• 39/50 13 January 2020 

  Mini's driver Jakub Przygonski and his co-driver Timo Gottschalk compete in Stage 8 of the Dakar 2020 around Wadi Ad-Dawasir

  AFP via Getty

• 40/50 12 January 2020 

  People take photos of a phreatic explosion from the Taal volcano from the town of Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of Manila

  AFP via Getty

• 41/50 11 January 2020 

  An injured Syrian child cries after being transported to a clinic for treatment following an air strike by pro-regime forces on the nothwestern city of Idlib

  AFP via Getty

• 42/50 10 January 2020 

  Vets and volunteers treat koalas at Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, southwest of Adelaide, Australia

  AAP Image/Reuters

• 43/50 9 January 2020 

  Devotees follow the carriage transporting the statue of the Black Nazarene during an annual religious procession in its honour in Manila. Thousands of barefoot devotees joined the religious procession hoping to touch a centuries-old icon of Jesus Christ, called the Black Nazarene, which is believed to have miraculous powers

  AFP via Getty

• 44/50 8 January 2020 

  People stand near the wreckage after a Ukrainian plane carrying 176 passengers crashed near Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran

  ISNA/AFP via Getty

• 45/50 7 January 2020 

  Mourners gather around a vehicle carrying the coffin of Iranian top general Qasem Soleimani during the final stage of funeral processions, in his hometown Kerman. Soleimani was killed outside Baghdad airport Friday in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump, ratcheting up tensions with Iran which has vowed "severe revenge". The assassination of the 62-year-old heightened international concern about a new war in the Middle East and rattled financial markets

  AFP via Getty

• 46/50 6 January 2020 

  Actor Rose McGowan speaks at a news conference outside a Manhattan courthouse after the arrival of Harvey Weinstein, in New York. Weinstein is on trial on charges of rape and sexual assault, more than two years after a torrent of women began accusing him of misconduct

  AP

• 47/50 5 January 2020 

  Mourners march behind a vehicle carrying the coffins of slain major general Qassem Soleimani and others as they pay homage in the Iranian city of Mashhad

  Tasnim News/AFP/Getty

• 48/50 4 January 2020 

  Rescue personnel search for bodies among mud and debris following a landslide caused by heavy rain in West Java, Indonesia

  EPA

• 49/50 3 January 2020 

  A burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport is seen following an airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq. The Pentagon said Thursday that the US military has killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, at the direction of President Donald Trump

  AP

• 50/50 2 January 2020 

  Boats are pulled ashore as smoke and wildfires rage behind Lake Conjola, Australia. Thousands of tourists fled Australia's wildfire-ravaged eastern coast ahead of worsening conditions as the military started to evacuate people trapped on the shore further south

  Robert Oerlemans via AP

 

 

The president suggested that Georgia Republican Congressman Doug Collins - who invoked a fierce defence of the president during his impeachment - could be considered for the permanent job.

Mr Trump announced on Twitter: "I will be nominating a terrific candidate for the job very soon ... Stay tuned!

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "American voters should decide American elections - not Vladimir Putin".

She urged congress to "condemn the president's reported efforts to dismiss threats to the integrity of our democracy [and] to politicize our intel community".

In a message on Thursday night, California congressman and impeachment prosecutor Adam Schiff said: "We count on the intelligence community to inform Congress of any threat of foreign interference in our elections. If reports are true and the President is interfering with that, he is again jeopardizing our efforts to stop foreign meddling. Exactly as we warned he would do."

Congress will hold a briefing on election security on 10 March.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov brushed off the allegations, saying that intelligence officials' warning are "more paranoid announcements which, to our regret, will multiply as we get closer to the election".

"They have nothing to do with the truth", he said.