'Largest compromise ever': Trump levels explosive new charge against China on 2020 US presidential election

The 2020 election saw Trump lose his re-election bid to Democrat Joe Biden.

"Compounding the travesty, the second set of documents we are releasing reveals that members of the Deep State in our intelligence agencies worked to actively suppress and downplay information about the extent of China’s sinister election meddling—covering it up from both the President and the American People," Trump said.

He further claimed: "U.S. spy agencies began learning about the compromise of voter registration files in 2020, when they discovered that tens of millions of voters’ data in 18 states had been bought, stolen, or hacked by China. Yet those responsible for sounding the alarm instead kept the information hidden. They did not disclose it to me as president, and to the best of our knowledge, they did not inform Congress."

Calling the alleged cover-up "even more disturbing," Trump said: "The coverup of this colossal security breach is even more disturbing in light of additional information showing that China engaged in other election-related activities to undermine my first administration and our 2020 campaign."

He also alleged that Beijing sought to prevent his re-election.

"Also in mid-2018, China was working to influence the results of the U.S. midterm elections, and later, the results of the 2020 presidential election," Trump claimed.

He said he has directed US intelligence and law enforcement agencies to investigate the matter.

"I am asking the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the CIA to investigate how and why such crucial information was hidden, to fire those involved in the cover-up, and to file criminal charges, if appropriate, against those responsible," he said.

Trump's allegations come despite previous assessments by the US intelligence community that found no evidence China altered the outcome of the 2020 election.

"The Departments investigated multiple public claims that one or more foreign governments owned, directed or controlled election infrastructure used in the 2020 federal elections; implemented a scheme to manipulate election infrastructure; or tallied, changed or otherwise manipulated vote

Meanwhile, China has denied the allegations.

In a statement to CNN Thursday, a spokesperson at the Chinese embassy to the US in Washington said: “China has all along adhered to the principle of non-interference in others’ internal affairs. The US election is an internal matter of the US. Its outcome is determined by the votes of the American people.”