Russia is behind viral disinformation targeting Walz, intelligence
official says
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[October 23, 2024]
By DAVID KLEPPER
WASHINGTON (AP) — Groups in Russia created and helped spread viral
disinformation targeting Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz,
a senior U.S. intelligence official said Tuesday.
The content, which includes baseless accusations about the Minnesota
governor's time as a teacher, contains several indications that it was
manipulated, said the official with the Office of the Director of
National Intelligence.
Analysts identified clues that linked the content to Russian
disinformation operations, said the official, who briefed reporters on
the condition of anonymity under rules set by the office of the
director.
Digital researchers had already linked the video to Russia, but
Tuesday’s announcement is the first time federal authorities have
confirmed the connection.
The disinformation targeting Walz is consistent with Russian
disinformation seeking to undermine the Democratic campaign of Vice
President Kamala Harris and Walz, her running mate. Russia also has
spread disinformation aimed at stoking discord and division ahead of
voting, officials said, and may seek to encourage violent protests after
Election Day.
Last month, analysts at Microsoft revealed that a viral video that
baselessly claimed Harris left a woman paralyzed in a hit-and-run
accident 13 years ago was Russian disinformation. More recently, a video
surfaced featuring a man claiming to be a former student of Walz's who
accused the candidate of sexual misconduct years ago. Private
researchers at firms that track disinformation, including NewsGuard,
already have concluded the video was fake and that the man in the
footage isn't who he claimed to be.
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The Associated Press contacted a former employer of the man whose
identity was used in the video. The employer, Viktor Yeliohin,
confirmed the man shown in the video was an impostor.
Some researchers have also suggested the video may contain evidence
that it was created using artificial intelligence, but federal
officials stopped short of the same conclusion, saying only that the
video contained multiple indications of manipulation.
China and Iran also have sought to influence the U.S. election using
online disinformation. While Russia has targeted the Democratic
campaign, Iran has gone after Republican Donald Trump with
disinformation as well as hacking into the former president's
campaign. China, meanwhile, has focused its influence efforts on
down-ballot races, and on general efforts to sow distrust and
democratic dissatisfaction.
There is no indication that Russia, China or Iran are plotting
significant attacks on election infrastructure as a way to disrupt
the outcome, officials said Tuesday.
Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure
Security Agency, has said improvements to election security mean
there is no way any other foreign adversary will be able to alter
the results.
Russia, China and Iran have all rejected claims that they are
seeking to meddle with the U.S. election. Messages left with the
Russian Embassy seeking comment on the Walz video were not
immediately returned Tuesday.
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Associated Press writer Melissa Goldin contributed to this report
from New York.
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