The Biden administration announced wide-ranging actions Wednesday meant to call out Russian influence in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, unsealing criminal charges against two employees of a Russian state-run media company and seizing internet domains used by the Kremlin to spread disinformation.
The measures, which in addition to indictments also included sanctions and visa restrictions., represented a U.S. government effort just weeks before the November election to disrupt a persistent threat from Russia that American officials have long warned has the potential to sow discord and create confusion among voters. Washington has said that Moscow, which intelligence officials have said has a preference for Republican Donald Trump, remains the primary threat to elections even as the FBI continues to investigate a hack by Iran this year that targeted the presidential campaigns of both political parties.
“The Justice Department’s message is clear: We will have no tolerance for attempts by authoritarian regimes to exploit our democratic systems of government,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
One criminal case disclosed by the Justice Department accuses two employees of RT, a Russian state media company, of covertly funding a Tennessee-based content creation company with nearly $10 million to publish English-language videos on platforms including TikTok and YouTube with messages in favor of the Russia government’s interests and agenda, including about the war in Ukraine. The videos were seen millions of times.
The Justice Department says the company, which it did not identify, did not disclose that it was funded by RT and did not register as required by law as an agent of a foreign principal.
In the other action, officials announced the seizure of 32 internet domains that were used by the Kremlin to spread Russian propaganda and weaken global support for Ukraine. The websites were designed to look like authentic news sites but were actually fake.
Though the Justice Department did not identify which candidate in particular the campaign was meant to boost, internal strategy notes released Wednesday make clear that Trump and his campaign were the intended beneficiaries.