WASHINGTON — The country’s federal law enforcement and election security agencies are debunking two new examples of Russian election disinformation on the eve of election dayto emphasize attempts by foreign actors to sow doubt in the American voting process and warn that the efforts risk inciting violence against election officials.
In one joint statement Late Monday, federal officials pointed to a recent article by Russian actors that falsely claimed that U.S. officials in several presidential swing states were orchestrating a scheme to commit fraud, as well as a video that falsely depicted an interview with an individual who alleged election fraud in Arizona.
US intelligence agencies reveal that Russia-linked influence actors are “manufacturing videos and creating fake articles to undermine the legitimacy of the election, sow fear among voters about the electoral process, and suggest that Americans are using violence against each other because of political preferences,” according to the US intelligence service. the statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “These efforts risk inciting violence, including against election officials.”
A spokesperson for the Russian embassy did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Federal officials warned that Russia is likely to release additional “manufactured content” on Election Day and poses “the most active threat” when it comes to foreign election influence. The statement also noted that Iran remains a “significant foreign influence threat to U.S. elections.”
The effort described by federal officials is part of a… Russia’s large-scale influence operation intended to undermine confidence in the electoral process and sow division among American voters. Intelligence services have determined that Russia, which also interfered in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections on behalf of Donald Trump, is again favoring the Republican candidate and is likely to continue its influence operations after Election Day.
In addition to fabricated videos intended to promote disinformation, U.S. officials have also accused Russian state media of a multimillion-dollar covert operation to spreading pro-Russian content to the American public and seized dozens of Internet domains that they said promoted propaganda.
In their statement, officials also drew new attention to Iran’s efforts to interfere in the election, including a hack-and-leak operation intended to damage Trump’s candidacy. The Justice Department charged three Iranian hackers in September for the attempt.
Iranian actors have also created fake news sites and posed as activists online in attempts to influence voters, according to analysts at Microsoft. The tech giant said last month that Iranian actors had done so sent emails aimed at intimidating American voters in 2020, election-related websites and major media outlets have been investigating, raising concerns that they could be preparing for a new arrangement this year.
While major tech companies and intelligence officials have called for foreign interference this election cycle, Russia, China and Iran have rejected claims that they want to meddle in the U.S. election.
The Arizona video promoted on social media by Russian actors on Monday allegedly shows an anonymous whistleblower exposing an election fraud scheme. Federal officials said the Arizona Secretary of State’s office had already refuted the video’s contents.
Earlier this week, US officials confirmed that a video claimed to show voter fraud in two left-leaning counties in Georgia was fake and the product of a Russian troll farm. And last month, she attributed to Russia another fake video of a person tearing up ballots in what appeared to be Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.
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