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Russia is intensifying its efforts to interfere in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, aiming to help Donald Trump defeat Vice President Kamala Harris, according to U.S. intelligence officials. According to a report on USA Today, the Kremlin's tactics are more sophisticated this time around, utilizing both "unwitting" and “witting” Americans to spread its influence, officials said Friday.
In a briefing with reporters, senior officials overseeing U.S. counter-interference efforts said Russia's campaign is broader than in previous elections. They highlighted the Kremlin’s use of American influencers to push divisive narratives, a shift from earlier efforts that relied more heavily on fake personas on social media platforms.
Russia's goal, the officials said, is to weaken the U.S. and undermine its support for Ukraine. The interference includes targeting down-ballot races as well as the presidential contest.
The intelligence briefing marks the first time officials have explicitly said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is backing Trump again, after reportedly supporting him in 2016 and 2020. Putin’s recent public joke about favoring Harris is seen by officials as a disinformation tactic, not reflective of Moscow’s covert operations.
Just days earlier, federal prosecutors charged two Russian nationals with running a $10 million operation to influence the election through online platforms. The campaign funneled Russian disinformation to U.S.-based influencers, some of whom were paid up to $400,000 a month for promoting Kremlin-aligned content.
Prosecutors also charged a former adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign with money laundering and working for a sanctioned Russian television network as part of the broader disinformation effort. Officials said the Russian-funded media company Tenet Media was central to distributing propaganda across social platforms, using influencers to launder Russian narratives as domestic viewpoints.
Officials say Russia's interference methods have grown more advanced. Unlike earlier efforts, which were often easily identified, Moscow now uses conservative American influencers to disguise its propaganda as authentic speech. The scope of Russia's operation also extends beyond social media, with sophisticated disinformation campaigns targeting voters and inflaming political divisions.
In addition to Russia, Iran and China are also attempting to influence the election, though their activities are not as expansive as Moscow’s. Intelligence agencies continue to monitor threats from these nations as the election cycle progresses.
While there is no evidence that foreign actors are attempting to tamper with voting infrastructure, U.S. intelligence agencies warn that Russia remains the most active foreign influence threat in the 2024 election. Moscow is focused on amplifying divisive rhetoric and influencing outcomes that align with its foreign policy goals.
Officials have offered to brief both the Trump and Harris campaigns on foreign interference efforts. Neither campaign has confirmed whether they have accepted the briefings.
[Information sourced from USA Today]
