Head of US observing mission confirms foreign interference in Romania's canceled 2024 presidential ballot

James E. Trainor, the head of the United States delegation observing Romania's May 4 presidential elections, confirmed on May 3 that the canceled 2024 ballot was affected by foreign interference, G4Media reported. His remarks mark a clear departure from earlier statements made by the US administration, which had previously criticized Romania's Constitutional Court for annulling the election.

Trainor, a lawyer and Republican political appointee, said he had thoroughly reviewed the court rulings and evidence surrounding the Constitutional Court of Romania's (CCR) decision to cancel the results of the first presidential round held on November 24, 2024. The annulment was declared on December 6 following concerns raised by Romanian intelligence regarding external tampering.

"It's important that we eliminate these influences at the end of the day (…). They undermine the will of the people," Trainor stated. He added unequivocally, "I don't think there's any doubt that there was foreign interference in the election. I mean, there was clearly interference in the election."

Trainor identified Russia as the main actor behind the interference but also warned against narrowing the focus solely to Russian activity. "Don't forget that TikTok is owned by the Chinese and there's a lot of foreign influence that comes in even just through this platform," he said. "I think it's better to approach this issue holistically, as a problem of all foreign influences, and not treat it as a singular issue."

His comments contradict those of US Vice President JD Vance, who in February described the annulment of the election as a decision "based on flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from continental neighbors." That statement had echoed the scepticism of the Trump administration regarding the role of intelligence services in electoral matters across Eastern Europe.

Romanian authorities have since identified Russia's SVR intelligence agency as the main actor behind cyberattacks and coordinated disinformation campaigns during the 2024 election, aiming to boost the candidacy of nationalist figures and erode public trust in democratic institutions.

"It's a complex threat," Trainor concluded. "But ignoring it would only make the next election even more vulnerable."

James E. Trainor reiterated, speaking for Antena 3 CNN TV station, that he saw illegal foreign interference in the presidential elections of November 24.