The U.S. government has accused Russia of trying to interfere with the 2024 presidential election.
The BBC reports that Russian state media executives have been charged and sanctioned, while broadcasters linked to the Kremlin are facing restrictions.
The U.S. justice, state, and treasury departments are working together to counter this alleged interference.
Attorney General Merrick Garland claimed that Russia’s state broadcaster RT paid a U.S. company $10 million to secretly distribute content that pushed Russian government messages to American audiences.
The BBC also mentioned that Margarita Simonyan, RT’s boss, is among 10 people sanctioned for allegedly trying to harm trust in U.S. institutions.
Russia’s efforts are reportedly aimed at influencing the election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and at reducing international support for Ukraine.
John Kirby, a White House security spokesman, said that Russia’s goal is to promote pro-Russian policies in the U.S. RT and other Russian media outlets have been accused of recruiting American influencers to unknowingly support these efforts, as noted by the BBC.
As part of the response, the U.S. has charged two RT managers, restricted visas for employees of Russian-backed media, seized internet domain names spreading fake news, and designated several Russian media outlets as “foreign missions.” The Biden administration is also offering a $10 million reward for information on Russian hackers, according to the BBC.
RT has denied the accusations, mocking the U.S. government by saying it is repeating old clichés from 2016. Despite the denials, U.S. officials are warning that foreign countries, including Russia, continue to try to interfere with American elections, as they did in 2016 when Russia allegedly helped influence the outcome in favor of Donald Trump.
The BBC also highlighted that this isn’t just a Russian issue. Other countries like Iran and China have also been involved in attempts to sway U.S. political discussions and influence elections.
The U.S. government is on high alert to prevent any further interference.
Credit : BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8rx28v1vpro