Federal agencies say Russia and Iran are ramping up influence campaigns targeting US voters

By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY and ALI SWENSON, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s national instrumentality enforcement and predetermination information agencies are debunking 2 caller examples of Russian predetermination disinformation on the eve of Election Day, highlighting attempts by overseas actors to sow uncertainty successful the U.S. voting process and informing that the efforts tally the hazard of inciting unit against predetermination officials.

In a joint statement precocious Monday, national officials pointed to a caller nonfiction posted by Russian actors falsely claiming that U.S. officials crossed statesmanlike plaything states were orchestrating a program to perpetrate fraud, arsenic good arsenic a video that falsely depicted an interrogation with an idiosyncratic claiming predetermination fraud successful Arizona.

U.S. quality reveals that Russia-linked power actors “are manufacturing videos and creating fake articles to undermine the legitimacy of the election, instill fearfulness successful voters regarding the predetermination process, and suggest Americans are utilizing unit against each different owed to governmental preferences,” work the connection issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “These efforts hazard inciting violence, including against predetermination officials.”

A spokesperson for the Russian Embassy did not instantly respond to an emailed petition for comment.

Federal officials warned that Russia volition apt merchandise further “manufactured content” connected Election Day and poses “the astir progressive threat” erstwhile it comes to overseas predetermination influence. The connection besides noted that Iran remains a “significant overseas power menace to U.S. elections.”

The effort described by national officials is portion of a wide-ranging power cognition by Russia designed to undermine assurance successful the electoral process and sow discord among American voters. Intelligence agencies person assessed that Russia, which besides interfered connected Donald Trump’s behalf successful the 2016 and 2020 statesmanlike elections, again prefers the Republican nominee and is apt to persist successful its power operations good aft Election Day.

Besides manufactured videos intended to beforehand disinformation, U.S. officials besides person accused Russian authorities media of a covert, multimillion-dollar cognition to spread pro-Russia contented to American audiences and person seized dozens of net domains they said fostered propaganda.

In their statement, officials besides drew caller attraction to Iran’s attempts to interfere successful the election, which see a hack-and-leak cognition designed to harm Trump’s candidacy. The Justice Department successful September charged 3 Iranian hackers successful that effort.

Iranian actors besides person created fake quality sites and impersonated activists online successful attempts to sway voters, according to analysts astatine Microsoft. The tech elephantine said past period that Iranian actors who allegedly sent emails aimed astatine intimidating U.S. voters successful 2020 person been surveying election-related websites and large media outlets, raising concerns they could beryllium preparing for different strategy this year.

As ample tech firms and quality officials person called retired overseas interference this predetermination cycle, Russia, China and Iran person rejected claims that they are seeking to meddle with the U.S. election.

The Arizona video promoted connected societal media by Russian actors connected Monday purported to amusement an anonymous whistleblower revealing an predetermination fraud scheme. Federal officials said the Arizona Secretary of State’s bureau had already refuted the contented of the video.

Earlier this week, U.S. officials confirmed that a video claiming to amusement elector fraud successful 2 left-leaning counties successful Georgia was fake and the merchandise of a Russian troll farm. And past month, they attributed to Russia different fake video of a idiosyncratic tearing up ballots successful what appeared to beryllium Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker successful Washington contributed to this report.

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