U.S. officials believe two additional fake videos now circulating online, which the FBI has identified as attempts to spread false claims about election security, are likely part of a Russian-backed influence campaign. The campaign appears to be aimed at swaying public opinion ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, two sources familiar with the situation told CBS News.
U.S. intelligence agencies and Microsoft have recently warned that foreign adversaries are engaging in influence campaigns to mislead voters ahead of the 2024 election. Both the U.S. government and Microsoft have indicated that Russia favors former President Donald Trump, while Iran supports Vice President Kamala Harris.
The FBI released a statement on Nov. 2 clarifying that the videos "are not authentic, are not from the FBI, and the content they depict is false." One video falsely alleges that "the FBI has apprehended three linked groups committing ballot fraud," while the second video targets Vice President Kamala Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff.
The FBI’s statement did not identify the source behind the videos, and the agency declined further comment when approached by CBS News. However, the statement emphasized that the videos, which incorporate Justice Department and FBI logos as well as images of Emhoff, are part of efforts to mislead the public with "false content about FBI operations."
This latest disclosure brings the total number of fake, Russia-produced videos aimed at misleading U.S. voters to four, according to the government.
On Oct. 31, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger highlighted another video claiming that Haitian voters illegally cast ballots for Vice President Kamala Harris, calling it a fake likely created by a Russian troll farm. In a joint statement on Nov. 1, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said that "Russian influence actors" manufactured the video.
Owen Racer
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