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NEW from me: The top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees say they are operating under the presumption that President Trump and his allies will allege fraud related to this year's midterms in order to justify election interference.

"We start with the premise that the president is going to do that. It would be irresponsible not to, speaking as somebody who was in the chamber on January 6, 2021," said Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn.

"We're making the assumption that the president is not going to accept the results of what looks to be a very challenging election for him and his party," Himes said.

Speaking alongside Himes on Wednesday, Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that one way the president could do that: claiming foreign interference in the voting process.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Himes and Warner are members of the Gang of Eight, senior lawmakers who oversee the nation's spy agencies and receive confidential briefings.

In a briefing for reporters, Warner and Himes said they have made clear to Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton and other intelligence leaders that they must be immediately reachable by phone on and after Election Day in the event that Trump alleges foreign interference in the election.

"If, at noon on election day, the president announced that the Iranians have undertaken operation," Himes said, "I'm on TV saying 'I'm Gang of Eight and I have received no such briefing, no such information, and I have no reason to believe that this is accurate.'"

"Now, does that end the crisis? No, but that's the first step," Himes said.

Both lawmakers said that they are in close contact with top Trump intelligence officials, even as they allege that those leaders have failed to provide legally-mandated pre-election reports to Congress assessing the state of play regarding foreign election meddling efforts.