The FBI announced Tuesday that it has been impersonated in at least two fabricated videos aimed at warning voters about attempted fraud in the 2024 election and undermining the American public's faith in the political process.
The agency announced in a Nov. 5 press release that the FBI's name and insignia were used in a fake news clip purporting to be a terrorist threat from the FBI.
“The fabricated news clip falsely reports that the FBI allegedly stated that Americans should 'vote remotely' due to the heightened threat of terrorism at polling places,” the FBI wrote. “This video is not authentic and does not accurately represent the current threat situation or security at polling places.”
The FBI said another fake video purporting to be from the agency claims administrators at five prisons in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona “rigged inmate voting and colluded with political parties.” .
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People vote on Election Day at Pittsburgh Manchester School on November 5, 2024 in Pittsburgh. (Reuters/Quinn Grabicki)
“Election integrity is one of our top priorities, and the FBI works closely with state and local law enforcement to respond to election threats and protect communities where Americans exercise their right to vote. We are protecting the people,” he said. “Attempts to mislead the public with falsehoods about the FBI's threat assessments and operations are intended to undermine our nation's democratic processes and undermine confidence in our election system.”
The Justice Department told Fox News that Attorney General Merrick Garland will be briefed on the threat by the FBI each morning and will receive briefings from law enforcement and national security teams throughout the day. He also planned to stop by the FBI's National Election Command Center for updates.
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Citizens vote at the Shaig Center & Gardens in Appleton, Wisconsin, on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 2024. (Dan Powers/USA Today Network-Wisconsin)
The warning comes a day after the agency and the Intelligence Community (IC) highlighted efforts by foreign adversaries, particularly Russia and Iran, to sow mistrust among Americans during the election process.
“The Intelligence Community (IC) has confirmed that foreign adversaries, particularly Russia, are conducting additional influence operations aimed at undermining public confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections and inciting division among Americans. “We are observing him doing so,” the statement said. “IC expects these activities to intensify in the lead up to Election Day and in the coming weeks, and the foreign influence narrative will focus on battleground states.”
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People line up on Election Day at Park Tavern in Atlanta on November 5, 2024. (Reuters/Cheney Orr)
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said Monday that Russian groups aimed to make Americans question the legitimacy of the election and portray Americans as using violence against each other over political differences. He announced that he was producing videos and fabricating news articles.
Russian operatives allegedly fabricated a video in which individuals claim election fraud in Arizona by creating fake overseas ballots and manipulating voter rolls in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris. . The Arizona Secretary of State refuted these claims, the agency said.
ODNI said the videos “risk inciting violence, including against election officials.”
The FBI, along with ODNI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, also said Iran was “conducting malicious cyber activity to compromise former President Trump's campaign.”
They noted that Iran is determined to take revenge against some US officials it deemed responsible for the January 2020 killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qasem Solemani.
“We have repeatedly emphasized former President Trump as a priority target for retaliation,” the statement said.
Fox News' David Spunt contributed his report.
