The Biden administration on Wednesday condemned Russian efforts to influence the 2024 US presidential election, with the Justice Department announcing it had seized 32 web domains that Russia was using to covertly campaign.
The lawsuit also targets two employees of Russian state-run media outlet RT (formerly known as Russia Today), which offers content in English, and accuses them of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The two actions are some of the strongest measures taken under the Biden administration to counter accelerating efforts by the Russian government, which intelligence agencies consider to be “the greatest threat to U.S. elections.”
The Russian effort, deemed “doppelganger,” combined the creation of sites that mimicked U.S. news outlets but had slightly different web addresses.Looks like the Washington PostThe newspaper also created other media brands to promote Russian content.
“As of noon today, we have seized these sites, rendered them inoperable, and made it clear to the world that this was an attempt by Russia to interfere in our elections and influence our society,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said as Justice Department officials convened a meeting of their Election Threats Task Force.
“When we learn that foreign adversaries are attempting to conceal their true identities or the sources of their propaganda as part of a deliberate campaign to sow discord, we will do everything in our power to expose their hidden hand and disrupt their efforts,” Wray added.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday that “associates of President Vladimir Putin” orchestrated an influence campaign to stoke support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine and with the broader goal of “ensuring Russia's desired outcome in the election.”
The officials and documents released Wednesday did not name any candidates backed by Russia, but the accompanying documents make clear Russia's support for former President Trump.
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