Russian Media Seeking To Push US Voters Toward Trump
Photo: Reuters/Alyssa Pointer
WASHINGTON, DC (REUTERS) – Russian state media outlet RT is using American and other personalities to try to sway U.S. voters into backing Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump over his Democratic foe, Kamala Harris, a senior US intelligence official said on September 6.
The official’s comment in a briefing on alleged foreign interference in the November presidential election comes amid a broad US government push to counter such efforts.
On September 4, the US charged two RT employees with money laundering, accusing them of participating in a scheme to have an American firm produce online content to influence the vote.
Those government actions were a further sign that Russia was using private Russian firms and RT “to covertly amplify and stoke domestic divisions and push for Russia’s preferred electoral outcomes,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“RT has built and used networks of U.S. and other Western personalities to create and disseminate Russia-friendly narratives,” the official said. “These actors among others are supporting Moscow’s efforts to influence voter preferences in favor of the former president (Trump) and diminish the prospects of the vice president (Harris).”
The official did not provide further details of how those actors are trying to sway voters.
Russia is the most active foreign adversary trying to influence the election, while China is more focused on influencing local-level races, the official said.
The official said Iran had been more active than in past cycles, stepping up its efforts to sway voters leading up to the presidential and congressional election.
The US intelligence community is increasing the use of private warnings to targets of foreign influence operations, the official added.
Justice Department officials on September 4 said the two RT employees used shell companies and fake personas to pay $10 million to an unidentified Tennessee company to produce online videos aimed at amplifying political divisions in the United States.
