On Wednesday, the United States is expected to formally accuse Russia of orchestrating a sustained effort to influence the upcoming presidential election through a broad disinformation and propaganda campaign, centered on the television network RT and several online platforms. The disclosures were first reported by CNN and subsequently confirmed by other local outlets citing anonymous sources.
There is anticipation that the White House will issue a clear condemnation of the alleged meddling, and that the Department of Justice will unveil measures aimed at countering the Kremlin’s information operations, which are accused of trying to shape American public opinion.
Officials say the announcement could coincide with remarks from the Attorney General, Merrick Garland, at the start of a meeting of the department’s election-threats task force. Participants are expected to include the FBI director, Christopher Wray, among others.
Focus on RT
One organization expected to be singled out is Social Design Agency, which the U.S. Treasury has previously sanctioned for running fake news pages in Europe on behalf of the Vladimir Putin government. The main focus of the forthcoming declaration, however, is anticipated to be RT, the network viewed in the United States as a central instrument of Kremlin propaganda. RT was banned in the United States, Europe, and Canada in 2022 after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Back in 2017, the Department of Justice required RT, formerly known as Russia Today, to register as a foreign agent in the United States after deeming it contributed to Moscow’s interference efforts in the 2016 elections. Washington charged the Kremlin with a campaign that included the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and the release of documents to undermine Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump, claims that formed part of the special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.
The previous July, a network employee was accused of taking part in a scheme that implicated both the network and the FSB in creating and operating a large social media bot farm. This operation used artificial intelligence to produce fake accounts that pretended to be U.S. residents, spreading disinformation about the Ukraine war and other topics.
Response from the Network
In a statement shared with Reuters, the network responded to the headlines with a note of sarcasm: “Three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and interference in RT’s coverage of U.S. elections.”
Maria Butina, a Duma deputy who was convicted in the United States for “conspiracy as an unregistered foreign agent,” told the agency that the accusations are a “witch hunt.” She argued that all sides benefit in a race of this scale, suggesting that the private military and industrial complex in the United States is the ultimate winner, a stance she has long advocated in support of the Ukraine battlefield effort.
Earlier, the United States accused Iran of attempting to hack both Donald Trump’s and Joe Biden’s presidential campaigns, and authorities in Washington are watching closely for signs of possible Chinese interference. Yet in a landmark in-person meeting in November, when Biden met with Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader asserted that Beijing would not meddle in U.S. elections. In a subsequent phone call in April, Biden reaffirmed his warning against any interference and emphasized the importance of safeguarding the electoral process.