Just days ahead of the U.S. presidential election, intelligence agencies in Washington are alerting Americans to a new wave of Russian-backed disinformation targeting the integrity of the election.
Unsubstantiated Claims of Bribery
The FBI reports that it has identified several misleading videos, originating from Russian networks, that aim to fuel distrust among voters.
One of the circulated videos falsely portrays individuals claiming to be from Haiti voting illegally across multiple counties in Georgia, according to Digi24.
Another video makes unsubstantiated claims about alleged bribery, suggesting a connection between Vice President Kamala Harris, her husband, and rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, alleging they accepted $500,000 in bribes.
While authorities haven’t specified all details, American media outlets confirm the video has gained traction on social media, stirring concerns among election officials.
Undermine Public Confidence
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) jointly condemned these “Russian influence actors,” stating that Moscow’s broader goal is to undermine public confidence in U.S. elections and incite division among Americans.
“This is part of a larger Russian effort to question election integrity and sow discord among U.S. citizens,” the agencies explained in a recent press statement.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who oversees elections in this critical battleground state, responded strongly, calling the video about illegal voting “a targeted example of disinformation.” He urged social media leaders, including X owner Elon Musk, to remove such content promptly.
The video, originally posted by an anonymous account with a history of Russian-linked disinformation, has since been taken down.
As Election Day on November 5 approaches, experts warn that Russia is likely to ramp up these disinformation campaigns to destabilize confidence in the voting process.
