The Biden administration is set to announce actions on Wednesday aimed at countering what it claims are Russian government-backed efforts to influence U.S. public opinion ahead of the upcoming November election, according to two senior officials who spoke to NBC News.
These efforts reportedly include activities by RT, a Russian-funded media outlet. The administration's response is expected to involve Treasury Department sanctions and legal action by the Department of Justice, with Attorney General Merrick Garland scheduled to make a public statement on the matter Wednesday afternoon.
U.S. intelligence agencies have previously concluded that Russia is attempting to meddle in the 2024 election. They have identified RT as a source of Russian propaganda, leading to its designation as a foreign agent. A 2017 report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) highlighted RT's ties to the Russian government, noting that its editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan, has close connections with top Russian officials and has acknowledged that RT is obligated to fulfill tasks set by the state due to its government funding.
The ODNI also stated in July that Russia is trying to influence the U.S. election to erode support for the Democratic presidential candidate and weaken American public backing for military aid to Ukraine.
Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has been well-documented by various U.S. investigations, including those led by former special counsel Robert Mueller. These investigations determined that Russia’s actions were intended to help Donald Trump defeat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Earlier this year, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan expressed concerns about potential Russian interference in the 2024 election. He emphasized that the issue is a matter of national security, not politics, as a foreign adversary attempts to manipulate U.S. democracy.
In February, NBC News reported that Russian operatives were already spreading disinformation through bots and fake accounts aimed at damaging President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign and other Democratic candidates.
While Russian outlets contributed to misinformation during the 2020 election, their influence was overshadowed by Donald Trump’s own efforts to discredit the election with baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, culminating in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Clint Watts, a former FBI agent and expert on foreign disinformation, remarked in 2020 that the domestic spread of falsehoods had surpassed the impact of foreign interference, as much of the misinformation was generated internally.
Despite the clear outcome of the 2020 election, with Trump losing to Joe Biden, Trump, who is now the 2024 Republican nominee, has never conceded his defeat. Many of the January 6 defendants have since expressed regret, admitting that they were misled by Trump’s false claims.
Trump is currently facing four federal felony charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A federal grand jury has indicted him on charges that he knowingly propagated baseless and ever-changing claims about the election. Trump has indicated that his lawyers will plead not guilty on his behalf during a hearing scheduled for Thursday.
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