The Department of Homeland Security sat on a memo detailing a Russian effort to spread rumors about Joe Biden's mental health, saying it did not meet the department's standards.
Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf was asked to approve the document before it was sent to federal, state, and local law enforcement, but it was never distributed.
According to ABC News, DHS wrote a bulletin on the matter titled "Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of US Candidates to Influence 2020 Election." It was submitted for review on July 7 and was slated to be sent to federal, state, and local law enforcement on July 9.
The document, which was originally submitted by DHS' legislative and public affairs office, was flagged for Wolf's review.
"Please hold on sending this one out until you have a chance to speak to [Wolf]," DHS chief of staff John Gountanis wrote in an email at the time, ABC reported.
A department spokesperson told ABC the document was "delayed" and that it ultimately fell short of standards needed to approve it.
The draft document, according to ABC, said that intelligence analysts concluded with "high confidence" that "Russian malign influence actors are likely to continue denigrating presidential candidates through allegations of poor mental or physical health to influence the outcome of the 2020 election."
The document referenced efforts in Iran and China to criticize President Donald Trump, but it mostly focused on Russia questioning whether Biden is mentally fit to serve as president.
Trump and his supporters have done the same in recent months, asking aloud whether Biden, who will be 78 on Inauguration Day, is fit to serve. Trump is 74.
The DHS document, according to ABC, mentioned a story on a Russian proxy website that "refuted media claims that the candidate's gaffes are a result of a stutter, instead arguing these verbal miscues are symptoms of dementia."
Some have also theorized that Trump could have some form of dementia. And this week, he was accused of covering up a mini stroke that some say occurred last fall. Trump fired back by saying he never had a stroke.
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