- The American administration alleges Russian involvement in meddling with the nation's presidential vote.
The United States enacted penalties against several individuals and entities for interfering in their presidential elections, as revealed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Attorney General Merrick Garland. This includes representatives from the state-backed Russian broadcasting entity RT. Garland declared that Putin's inner circle had commanded Russian PR firms to spew false information and pro-government narratives as part of an operation to influence the 2024 U.S. presidential elections.
The Department of the Treasury outlined that actors backed by the Russian regime have historically utilized diverse methods, such as AI, deepfakes, and targeted disinformation, to weaken the trust in American election processes and institutions. In the beginning of 2024, high-ranking personnel at the RT broadcasting company also started secretly recruiting unwitting American social media influencers for their influence pursuits. RT concealed its involvement or that of the Russian government in content created to sway public opinion in the United States through a shell corporation.
U.S. Brings Severe Accusations Against Moscow
The goal of these influence endeavors was to broadcast Russian government propaganda within the U.S. and erode support for Ukraine, which Russia has attacked.
Those impacted by the sanctions include RT's editor-in-chief Margarita Simonian and other senior executives at the broadcasting company. As a result of the sanctions, any of their assets held in the U.S. will be seized. Transactions with them will be prohibited for U.S. citizens. International transactions will also become increasingly difficult for those affected.
Previously, official U.S. sources claimed that Moscow had interfered in previous U.S. elections. According to U.S. intelligence agencies, Russia meddled in the 2020 election by supporting Republican Donald Trump and undermining Democrat Joe Biden. Moscow intended to manipulate the election outcome and foster division within the nation, as per a declassified intelligence report.
U.S. security agencies also hypothesized that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to boost Republican candidate Donald Trump and hinder Democrat Hillary Clinton. A special counsel later probed possible illegal collaboration between Russia and Trump's team, yet discovered insufficient proof.
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The U.S. Department of the Treasury identified The Commission, which includes RT and its associated entities, as acting under the influence of the Russian regime in spreading disinformation and propaganda to influence U.S. elections. Following these revelations, The Commission's key personnel, such as editor-in-chief Margarita Simonian, face severe penalties, including asset seizures and transaction prohibitions.
