Microsoft says Russians created a video falsely accusing Vice President Harris of hit-and-run.
Around Tuesday Report According to the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC), Russians recently “created and distributed two fake videos aimed at discrediting Ms. Harris and inciting controversy surrounding her campaign.” One of the videos “used actors to make a false claim that Ms. Harris paralyzed a young girl in a hit-and-run accident in 2011,” the report said.
In its report, MTAC said the video was produced by a “well-known Russian actor” who goes by the name “Storm1516.”
“Russian influence operations initially struggled to pivot toward targeting the Democratic Party following President Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 U.S. presidential race,” the report said. “However, in late August, elements of a known Russian operative, Storm1516, began producing content implicating Vice President Harris and Governor Walz in outlandish false conspiracy theories.”
a Blog Post MTAC general manager Clint Watts also said both videos have been viewed “millions of times.”
“As the election approaches, we expect Russian activists will continue to use cyber proxies and hacktivist groups to spread their messaging through media websites and social channels aimed at spreading divisive political content, staged videos, and AI-enhanced propaganda,” Watts' post read.
Earlier this month, the Biden administration accused Russia of trying to influence this year's election, and the Justice Department announced it had seized more than 30 web domains used by Russia in its covert election activities. An indictment accuses two Russian state media officials of partnering with conservative media outlets to help sow division in the United States.
The Hill has reached out to the Russian government and the Harris campaign for comment.
