Russia, Russia, Russia 2024: Justice Department dismantles fake news network supporting Trump in election

President Biden’s administration has taken control of 32 websites that are allegedly part of a fake news network spreading disinformation about the upcoming presidential election. According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, the network was part of a “foreign malign influence” campaign led by the Russian government, known as Doppelganger. “The Russian government and Russian government-sponsored actors have engaged in a covert campaign to interfere with and influence the outcome of our nation’s election,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.

A 277-page affidavit, which was not disclosed, claimed that Russian companies, acting under the direction and control of the Russian presidential administration, used the websites as part of a propaganda campaign designed to influence voters in the run-up to the 2024 US presidential election. The affidavit, which named First Deputy Head of the Presidential Executive Cabinet Sergei Vladilenovich Kiriyenko, further claimed that the fake news network was also used to undermine support for Ukraine and strengthen pro-Russian policies.

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Justice Department says fake news campaign acted under Putin’s orders

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco warned that Russia remains a “predominant foreign threat to our elections” and said the companies involved acted at Putin’s direction “to covertly promote false AI-generated narratives on social media.” While the Justice Department statement and affidavit were careful not to name any candidate or party — with the name redacted and labeled Political Party A, Candidate A, etc. — there is a reference to a document called the Good Old USA Project that makes clear the preferred candidate is Donald Trump. Indeed, the reference to Political Party B being in power reveals it to be the Democrats, and an additional statement saying Russia must “make a maximum effort to ensure that Political Party A’s U.S. view (first and foremost, the view of Candidate A’s supporters) wins out in the American public” removes any doubt about that. “An internal planning document created by the Kremlin states that one goal of the campaign is to secure Russia’s preferred outcome in the election,” Garland said.

There is no evidence to suggest that Trump or the Trump campaign were aware of the disinformation campaign.

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FBI Director to Expose and Dismantle Covert Election Influence Campaigns

FBI Director Christopher Wray has made it clear that the takedown of Doppelganger is just the beginning of operations to ensure a fair presidential election, as free as possible from international meddling. “Today’s announcement exposes the extent of the Russian government’s influence operations and its reliance on cutting-edge artificial intelligence to sow disinformation,” Wray said. By seizing the disinformation websites, Wray continued, the FBI is making abundantly clear that these were “Russian attempts to interfere in our elections and influence our society.”