US President Joe Biden at the White House.
Washington: Russia’s interference in the US presidential election to be held in November has shaken the White House. The US alleges that Russia is making every effort to disrupt the presidential election. Therefore, the Biden administration has imposed several sanctions on Russia’s efforts to manipulate American opinion ahead of the election. The US Treasury Department said that action is being taken to protect and secure American election institutions and processes in view of Moscow’s efforts to influence the 2024 presidential election in the United States.
America is accusing Russia of running a propaganda campaign regarding the presidential election. Let us tell you that the presidential election is to be held in America on November 5. In this election, Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris will face Republican Party’s Donald Trump. But Russia is accused of spreading disturbances in this election. US intelligence agencies have previously accused Russia of spreading misinformation to interfere in the election. However, the expected announcement by Attorney General Merrick Garland indicates America’s deep concern. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment in this regard.
Ban announced on Russia
The US departments of State, Justice and Treasury on Wednesday jointly announced sanctions along with criminal charges against Russia for what the Biden administration is calling a Russian government-sponsored effort to manipulate American public opinion ahead of the November election. New York Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the indictment, charging two employees of Russian-backed media network RT with conspiring to commit money laundering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. “The American people deserve to know when a foreign power is attempting to exploit our nation’s free exchange of ideas for its own propaganda,” he said.
America said Russia is trying to promote Trump and harm others
The US indictment said the names of political parties and candidates were redacted, making it clear through the documents that the Russians sought to boost former Republican President Donald Trump and harm Democratic efforts to elect Biden, who was the likely Democratic nominee at the time. Garland accused Konstantin Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva of implementing a nearly $10 million scheme to hire a Tennessee-based company to publish and disseminate pro-Russian material.
That company then contracted with U.S.-based social media influencers to share the content on its platforms. “This information was often consistent with Russia’s interest in exacerbating U.S. domestic divisions to undermine core Russian interests, particularly U.S. opposition to the ongoing war in Ukraine,” the attorney general said.The indictment says Kalashnikov introduced himself as RT’s “deputy head of the Digital Media Projects Department” and Afanasyeva presented herself on social media as “a producer at RT, dealing with foreign and news.”
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