President Joe Biden‘s administration is reportedly planning to accuse Russia on Wednesday for sustained efforts to influence the 2024 US presidential election by using Kremlin-run media and other online platforms, sources told CNN.
CNN reported Biden’s condemnation is a part of a “series of moves” the Biden administration will make.
“This is no surprise,” former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told CNN. “Going back to when Putin was KGB, his primary goal was to undermine the United States of America and weaken our democracy. They are constantly focused on that goal.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden prior to the U.S.-Russia summit at the Villa La Grange, in Geneva on June 16, 2021. Speculation is growing that the largest prisoner swap between Russia and the West since the Cold War is imminent.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
Newsweek reached out to the Biden administration for comment but did not hear back immediately.
Panetta, President Barack Obama‘s Secretary of Defense and White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton, said he is “glad the administration is bringing this to the attention” of the public due to its impact in the election process.
“It’s important that we develop a strong line of defense against these activities,” Panetta said. “What we have to do on the defense is counter that disinformation campaign to make clear to the American people what the truth is and to make them aware of what the Russians are trying to do.”
Panetta warned that former President Donald Trump previously said that he trusted Russian intelligence more than US intelligence.
“That says an awful lot about where he’s coming from,” Panetta said.
The Kremlin’s efforts, specifically with Russian state media network RT, reportedly are targeting US voters with disinformation.
The Justice Department forced RT America to register as a foreign agent in 2017 after intelligence officials concluded the outlet contributed to efforts to influence the 2016 election.
“They did the same thing with a very bold cyber-attack on our election system,” Panetta said. “They did it in 2020 and they’re now doing it in 2024.”
The announcement is also expected to name Social Design Agency, another Russian company. The Treasury Department sanctioned Social Design Agency in March for Kremlin-directed disinformation efforts, for allegedly running fake news sites in Europe for the Russian government.
Attorney General Merrick Garland will host a meeting with the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force on Wednesday afternoon. FBI Director Christopher Wray is expected to attend.
The Justice Department is expected to announce law enforcement action targeting the Russian campaign, the sources said.
Other Country’s U.S. Election Involvement
The U.S. accused Iran of trying to hack both the former President Donald Trump and the Biden-Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns last month.
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, initially told Politico that the documents were obtained illegally “from foreign sources hostile to the United States.” He later suggested that Iran was behind the attack, saying, “The Iranians know that President Trump will stop their reign of terror just like he did in his first four years in the White House.”
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks with Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice during an event at the group’s annual convention in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
AP Photo
Meta later announced that an Iranian hacker group targeted the WhatsApp accounts of people associated with the two administrations.
“This malicious activity originated in Iran and attempted to target individuals in Israel, Palestine, Iran, the United States and the UK,” Meta said in a statement. “These accounts posed as technical support for AOL, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft.”
Meta’s investigation was able take place thanks to some of the administration individuals reporting the suspicious messages.
Trump said he hopes friendly with Iran just days after blaming the country for breaching his campaign’s internal communications in a hacking scheme during a press conference in Bedminster, New Jersey, on August 15.
Trump said, “I’m not looking to be bad to Iran, we’re going to be friendly, I hope, with Iran, maybe, but maybe not. But we’re going to be friendly I hope, we’re going to be friendly, but they can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
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