WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is preparing to accuse Russia on Wednesday of disinformation campaigns targeting the U.S. presidential election, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Intelligence agencies have previously charged that Russia was using disinformation to try to interfere in the election. But the anticipated announcement from Attorney General Merrick Garland is expected to show the depth of U.S. concerns and signal legal actions against those suspected of being involved.
The people who discussed the announcement spoke on condition of anonymity with The Associated Press because the matter was not public. One of the people said the announcement will involve, in part, an accusation of the use of Russia-state media to spread disinformation and propaganda.
Garland and other law enforcement leaders are expected to speak briefly at the opening of a meeting of the Justice Department’s elections threats task force. A department spokesman declined to comment on the expected announcement, which was first reported by CNN.
In a speech last month, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Russia was the primary threat to the election, even as Iran raised alarm this summer for a hack of Donald Trump’s campaign and an attempted breach of the then-Joe Biden-Kamala Harris campaign.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and “his proxies are using increasingly sophisticated techniques in their interference operations. They’re targeting specific voter demographics and swing-state voters to in an effort to manipulate presidential and congressional election outcomes,” she said. “They’re intent on co-opting unwitting Americans on social media to push narratives advancing Russian interests.”
Much of the concern around Russia centers on cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns designed to influence the November vote. The tactics include using state media like RT to advance anti-U.S. messages and content, as well as networks of fake websites and social media accounts that amplify the claims and inject them into American’s online conversations. Typically, these networks seize on polarizing political topics such as immigration, crime or the war in Gaza.
In many cases, Americans may have no idea that the content they see online either originated or was amplified by the Kremlin.
“Russia is taking a whole of government approach to influence the election including the presidential race,” an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said this summer during a briefing. The official spoke on condition of anonymity under rules worked out with that office.
Groups linked to the Kremlin are increasingly hiring marketing and communications firms within Russia to outsource some of the work of creating digital propaganda while also covering their tracks, the officials said during the briefing with reporters.
Two such firms were the subject of new U.S. sanctions announced in March. Authorities say the two Russian companies created fake websites and social media profiles to spread Kremlin disinformation.
The ultimate goal, however, is to get Americans to spread Russian disinformation without questioning its origin. People are far more likely to trust and repost information that they believe is coming from a domestic source, officials said. Fake websites designed to mimic U.S. news outlets and AI-generated social media profiles are just two methods.
Messages left with the Russian Embassy were not immediately returned.