Russia and Iran are stepping up influence campaigns targeting American voters

By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY and ALI SWENSON, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s federal law enforcement and election security agencies are debunking two new examples of Russian election disinformation on the eve of election dayUNDERLINING attempts by foreign actors to sow doubt in the US voting process and warn that the efforts risk inciting violence against election officials.

One joint statement Federal officials late Monday pointed to a recent article posted by Russian actors falsely claiming that U.S. officials in swing states were orchestrating a scheme to commit fraud, as well as a video that falsely depicted an interview with a person alleging voter fraud in Arizona.

US intelligence reveals that Russian-linked influencers “produce videos and create fake articles to undermine the legitimacy of elections, instill fear in voters about the electoral process and suggest that Americans are using violence against each other because of political preferences,” it said. read. statement issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI and the US Agency for Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security. “These efforts risk inciting violence, including against election officials.”

A spokesman for the Russian Embassy did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Federal officials have warned that Russia is likely to release additional “fabricated content” on Election Day and is the “most active threat” when it comes to foreign election influence. The statement also noted that Iran remains a “significant foreign influence threat to US elections.”

The effort described by federal officials is part of a large-scale Russian influence operation designed to undermine confidence in the electoral process and sow discord among American voters. Intelligence agencies have assessed that Russia, which also intervened on behalf of Donald Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, is again favoring the Republican candidate and is likely to persist in its influence operations long after Election Day.

In addition to the fabricated videos designed to promote disinformation, US officials have also accused Russian state media of a covert, multimillion-dollar operation to spread pro-Russian content to the American public and seized dozens of Internet domains they said favored propaganda.

In their statement, the officials also drew new attention to Iran’s attempts to interfere in the election, which include a hack-and-leak operation designed to damage Trump’s candidacy. In September, the Justice Department indicted three Iranian hackers in the effort.

Iranian actors have also created fake news sites and impersonated online activists in an attempt to influence voters, according to Microsoft analysts. The tech giant said last month that the Iranian actors would be sent emails designed to intimidate American voters in 2020, they scoured election-related websites and major media outlets, raising concerns that they could be preparing for another scheme this year.

As major tech firms and intelligence officials have flagged foreign interference this election cycle, Russia, China and Iran have all pushed back on claims they are trying to meddle in the US election.

The Arizona video promoted on social media Monday by Russian actors purported to show an anonymous whistleblower exposing an election fraud scheme. Federal officials said the Arizona secretary of state’s office has already rejected the content of the video.

Earlier this week, US officials confirmed that a video purporting to show voter fraud in two left-leaning counties in Georgia. it was fake and the product of a Russian troll farm. And last month, they attributed to Russia another fake video of a person tearing up ballots in what appeared to be Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

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Originally published: November 4, 2024 at 9:27 PM CST