On Wednesday, the Biden administration unveiled extensive measures to combat Russian interference in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The actions include criminal charges against two Russian nationals, sanctions targeting 10 individuals and entities, and the seizure of 32 internet domains.
According to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Russian President Vladimir Putin directed three Russian companies to create fake social media profiles to spread false narratives. Documents from one company revealed efforts to support Donald Trump or the Republican nominee through this propaganda, as detailed in an FBI affidavit.
Additionally, two RT employees have been indicted in a U.S. court for allegedly orchestrating a scheme that channeled nearly $10 million to establish a Tennessee-based front company. This company was used to generate online content designed to divide American voters, with what Attorney General Merrick Garland described as “hidden Russian government messaging.”
The Biden administration has announced major actions to counter Russian influence on the 2024 U.S. presidential election, including criminal charges against two Russian nationals, sanctions on 10 individuals and entities, and the seizure of 32 internet domains. This move highlights the ongoing concern over Russian interference, following recent allegations that Iran also attempted to hack both the Trump and Biden campaigns.
One of the Russian companies involved, Social Design Agency (SDA), was previously sanctioned by the Treasury Department for operating fake news sites in Europe. The FBI’s affidavit details a broad Kremlin-backed disinformation campaign aimed at attacking U.S. politicians who support Ukraine and creating societal tensions within the U.S.
Internal documents from SDA indicate that their efforts were geared towards supporting a specific U.S. political candidate in the 2024 election, with a focus on swing states and issues like job loss and crime. These documents do not name Donald Trump but align with Russia’s known preference for him over other candidates.
The indictment of two RT employees revealed an operation that used nearly $10 million to fund a Tennessee-based front company, Tenet Media, which pushed pro-Russian narratives and content favoring Trump. RT, formerly known as Russia Today, has been previously implicated in Russian election interference efforts.
This latest round of actions follows a similar effort in July when the Justice Department accused an RT employee of operating a disinformation network about Ukraine and other topics. RT has not responded substantively to these latest allegations.
Concerns about foreign influence have increased since Russia’s 2016 election interference, with Iran also reportedly using similar tactics and China being monitored for its online influence efforts. Despite these threats, U.S. election infrastructure remains secure, with 97% of voters using jurisdictions with verified paper records, according to Jen Easterly of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Easterly emphasized that election security has never been stronger, reinforcing that there is no evidence of successful tampering with vote tallies.
