The U.S. on Wednesday accused Russia of interfering in the 2024 presidential election and announced a plan to ward off disinformation with sanctions, indictments, and web domain seizures, the Department of Justice said.
"The American people are entitled to know when a foreign power engages in political activities or seeks to influence public discourse," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in announcing the actions.
"The Justice Department's message is clear: We will have no tolerance for attempts by authoritarian regimes to exploit our democratic systems of government," he added.
The Biden administration on Wednesday seized Kremlin-run websites and charged two Russian state media employees in its most sweeping effort yet to push back against what it says are Russian attempts to spread disinformation ahead of the election.
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 social media platforms including TikTok and YouTube with messages in favor of the Russian government's interests and agenda, including about the war in Ukraine.
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.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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