President Biden’s administration has taken control of 32 websites allegedly part of a fake news ring spreading misinformation about the upcoming presidential election. According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, the ring was part of a Russian government-directed “foreign malign influence” campaign called Doppelgänger. “The Russian government and Russian government-sponsored actors conducted a covert campaign to interfere in and influence the outcome of our nation’s elections,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.

An unsealed 277-page affidavit says Russian companies acting under the direction and control of the Russian presidential administration used the websites as part of a propaganda campaign aimed at influencing voters ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The affidavit names First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Office Sergei Vladilenovich Kiriyenko by name. The statement goes on to say the fake news ring was also used to undermine support for Ukraine and bolster pro-Russian policies.

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Fake news campaign acted on Putin’s orders, Justice Department claims

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco warned that Russia remains a “predominant foreign threat to our elections.” She said the companies in question were acting on Putin’s orders “to covertly spread AI-generated misrepresentations on social media.” Although the Justice Department statement and affidavit were careful not to name candidates or parties, redacting names and labeling them as “Political Party A,” “Candidate A,” etc., it references a document called the “Good Old USA Project” that clearly states that the preferred candidate is Donald Trump. In fact, the reference to Political Party B being in power indicates that it is the Democrats, and a further statement saying that Russia should “make maximum efforts to ensure that the point of view of U.S. Political Party A (primarily the opinion of Candidate A’s supporters) wins U.S. public opinion” removes any doubt on the matter. “An internal Kremlin planning document says one goal of the campaign is to ensure the election outcome preferred by Russia,” Garland said.

There is no evidence that Trump or his campaign team knew about the disinformation campaign.

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FBI Director will uncover and end covert election interference campaigns

FBI Director Christopher Wray has made it clear that the Doppelganger takedown is just the beginning of operations designed to ensure a fair presidential election that is as free from international interference as possible. “Today’s announcement reveals the extent of the Russian government’s influence operations and its use of cutting-edge AI to spread disinformation,” Wray said. By seizing the disinformation websites, Wray continued, the FBI is making it very clear that these were “Russian attempts to interfere in our elections and influence our society.”