In Episode 45 of Going Rogue, Lara Logan sits down with former CIA officer Gary Berntsen and author Ralph Pezzullo to discuss what they describe as a coordinated, foreign-backed effort to compromise election systems in the United States and worldwide.
The conversation centers on their new book, Stolen Elections: The Takedown of Democracies Worldwide, which alleges that the origins of modern election manipulation trace back to Venezuela, Cuba, and a network of foreign intelligence services and criminal cartels.
Smartmatic, Venezuela, and the Global Expansion of Election Software
Berntsen and Pezzullo claim the modern model for electronic election manipulation began under Hugo Chávez, who—according to their investigation—used Venezuelan engineers to develop software capable of altering electronic vote totals ahead of a 2004 referendum.
From there, they argue the software evolved and spread globally, allegedly influencing elections in:
- Latin America
- Europe
- Parts of Asia
- And eventually, U.S. jurisdictions
Logan and her guests say the technology became valuable to hostile regimes such as Cuba, China, Iran, and Russia-linked networks seeking to undermine Western political systems without conventional warfare.
Allegations of Foreign Penetration in U.S. Systems
Berntsen, a decorated former CIA operator, recounts efforts he and investigator Martín Rodil made to brief U.S. agencies about election vulnerabilities, claiming intelligence and diplomatic institutions were “deeply penetrated” and slow—or unwilling—to act.
The pair also allege:
- U.S. taxpayer money was funneled through foreign-backed NGOs to promote vulnerable election systems
- Foreign intelligence services used contractors and intermediaries to influence U.S. election infrastructure
- Attempts to report vulnerabilities were ignored, blocked, or downplayed
Pezzullo argues that the 2020 election exposed weaknesses “engineered over decades.”
A Broader Warning: Foreign Influence and Cartel Power
The episode expands beyond election systems, touching on:
- The influence of Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles
- The role of Cuban intelligence operations
- Chinese “hybrid warfare” and its connection to voting technology
- Alleged U.S. failures in counterintelligence going back two decades
Logan frames the discussion as a wake-up call about the scale of foreign infiltration and the stakes for American sovereignty.
Why It Matters
Logan closes the episode by urging viewers to listen to the evidence directly and judge for themselves.
Berntsen and Pezzullo argue that if election systems are not secured, the United States risks losing meaningful self-government—not through tanks or armies, but through compromised digital infrastructure, foreign money, and internal actors willing to look the other way.
Episode 45 of Going Rogue with Lara Logan is now available on YouTube and Substack.