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USA TodayMar 28
US Sanctions Russians Over Alleged Election Interference
Above: FBI Director Christopher Wray (R) accompanied by US Attorney General Merrick Garland (L), speaks during an Election Threats Task Force meeting at the Justice Department on Sept. 4, 2024 in Washington, DC. Image copyright: Andrew Harnik/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The US Departments of Justice (DOJ), State, and Treasury Wednesday took significant steps against what they claim to be Russian government-backed attempts to influence the upcoming US election in November.
The DOJ accused two employees of Russia Today (RT), Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, of investing $10M in the Tennessee-based company Tenet Media. The DOJ claims American political pundits who worked with Tenet were "deceive[d]" into pushing "hidden Russian government messaging."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Russian propaganda efforts have become increasingly sophisticated and persistent in the run-up to European and US elections. As Russia's determination to manipulate Western public opinion grows, its ability to do so, even through artificial intelligence, has made producing propaganda even easier and cheaper. Unless tech and media companies are aware of these schemes, Western countries will have no idea if the content they consume is organic or created by Russia.
Establishment-critical narrative
While it's true that Russia conducts influence operations, what the FBI and DOJ are trying to do here is smear anyone critical of American military intervention abroad. Political commentators like Tim Pool have always been anti-war, which is why Washington is using this story to paint them as Russian puppets in bad faith. Accordingly, US intelligence agencies are quite literally influencing the election just as they've accused Moscow of doing.