Australian spy agency disrupts foreign election interference

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Ausralia (AP) — An Australian spy agency says it has disrupted a foreign government’s attempt to illegally bankroll the election of candidates who are politically sympathetic or vulnerable to inducements. The directory-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization did not identify the country or say whether the targeted election was federal or state. Australians will vote for their national government by May. He says the case involved a wealthy individual who had a direct and deep connection with a foreign government and its intelligence agencies. He says the person provided an agent with hundreds of thousands of dollars to find candidates who were either sympathetic or “vulnerable to inducements and cultivation.” He did not say whether any charges have been brought.