The US Departments of Justice (DOJ), State, and Treasury Wednesday took major 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, 31, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, of investing $10M in a Tennessee-based company Tenet Media. The DOJ claims American political pundits who worked with Tenet were "deceive[d]" into pushing "hidden Russian government messaging."
Besides sanctioning the RT employees, the DOJ blocked dozens of internet domains used for a Russian influence campaign. The Treasury Department, meanwhile, accused the pair of money laundering and failure to register as foreign agents.
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