The United States has accused Russia of continuing to try to influence the 2024 elections. In particular, the Department of Justice announced that Russian companies operating under the direction of the Russian presidential administration are spreading Russian propaganda to reduce international support for Ukraine.
This was reported in a briefing by the Voice of America..
Thus, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions against 10 people and two organizations suspected of influencing the U.S. election and spreading disinformation among Americans. The Department of Justice announced the seizure of 32 Internet domains used by the Russian government and Russian government-sponsored entities to conduct a covert campaign to interfere with and influence the outcome of the U.S. election and to undermine international support for Ukraine.
Attorney General Merrick Garland also announced charges against Russians and RT employees for conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
"We allege that as part of this effort, RT and its employees, including the defendants, created a nearly $10 million scheme to finance and operate a Tennessee-based company to publish and distribute content favorable to the Russian government. To carry out this scheme, the defendants directed the company to contract with Tennessee-based social media influencers to disseminate information on their platforms. The theme and content of many of the videos published by the company often align with Russian interests in order to foster internal divisions in the United States and weaken our opposition to Russian interests, including the ongoing war in Ukraine", said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Author: Inna Mikhno