US charges Russians, seizes websites in pushback on 2024 election interference

Washington: The Biden administration has taken action against Russia for attempting to interfere in this year’s presidential election, charging two employees of a state-run media outlet and seizing dozens of web domains used by the Kremlin to spread propaganda.

With two months until election day, the US justice department has also warned of “increasingly aggressive Iranian activity” – including a recent attempt to hack into Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

Attorney General Merrick Garland Credit: AP

This attempt involved allegations, reported earlier this month, that sensitive documents were stolen in a cyber intrusion, which his team had branded a deliberate attempt by Iran to “interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos”.

“The Justice Department’s message is clear: we have no tolerance for attempts by authoritarian regimes to exploit our democratic system of government,” said Attorney-General Merrick Garland.

“We will be relentlessly aggressive and disrupting attempts by Russia and Iran, as well as China or any other foreign malign actors to interfere in our elections and undermine our democracy.”

Donald Trump has claimed he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine in 24 hours by brokering a deal with Vladimir Putin.Credit: Getty

The war in Ukraine has made the November election one of the most pivotal for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

While Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to continue the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine, Trump claims he will end the war quickly by forcing both parties to negotiate, while his running mate JD Vance has been critical of ongoing US funding for Ukraine.

The department on Wednesday charged two Russia-based employees of RT, a state-controlled media outlet, over a $US10 million (($14 million) scheme to fund and direct a Tennessee-based online content creation company to publish thousands of videos deemed favourable to the Russian government.

The defendants, who remain at large, used fake identities and the company was unaware it was being used by Russia.

In another action, officials seized 32 internet domains which he said been used by members of Putin’s inner circle to promote disinformation to influence the 2024 election.

Kamala Harris and Donald TrumpCredit: nna\Jorgebranco

“The sites we are seizing today were filled with Russian government propaganda that had been created by the Kremlin to reduce international support for Ukraine, bolster pro-Russian policies and interests, and influence voters in the United States and other countries,” Garland told reporters in Washington.

Russia used a combination of social media, hacking and proxies within the US to interference in the 2016 election, driving up confusion and tensions among Americans.

The latest developments came as the presidential hits a critical juncture, with the first absentee ballots being sent out in the crucial battleground of North Carolina on Friday, followed by the first presidential debate between Trump and Kamala Harris next Tuesday (US time) in Philadelphia.

Weeks after Joe Biden withdrew his bid for a second term and endorsed Harris, polls show the vice president is slightly ahead of Trump, 48.1 per cent to 46.2 per cent, in the latest RealClearPolitics poll of averages.

But as both sides hit the final stretch of their campaign, officials are also bracing for an uptick of threats and violence at polling booths.

As reported by this masthead in April, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has co-ordinated active shooter drills for election workers, along with combat kits that include tourniquets to stem bleeding and objects to barricade doors in case angry citizens try to storm into polling centres.

“The escalating challenges of misinformation, physical threats, and cybersecurity risks have called for Arizona to take an assertive election security posture,” a spokesman said.

In North Carolina, chief elections official Karen Brinson Bell told this masthead workers have been trained on how to de-escalate tensions at polling booths, and the state has ramped up efforts to educate voters about misinformation and disinformation.

The US has charged two Russia-based employees of RT, its state-controlled propaganda outlet.Credit: AP

In Washington state, postal vote-handling protocols have been reviewed after election staff previously received envelopes containing white powder and other suspicious material, while in New Mexico, guns will be restricted at polling centres in the hope of reducing voter intimidation and vigilante acts.

Garland said that since the 2020 election, US officials have seen an unprecedented spike in threats against the public servants who administer elections.

“As I have said before, and I will reiterate again today… if you threaten to harm or kill an election worker or official or volunteer, the Justice Department will find you and we will hold you accountable,” he said.

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