US intelligence agencies have revealed that Russian operatives were behind the creation and dissemination of false online content aimed at smearing Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. The content, including manipulated audio, was spread on the social media platform X and displayed signs of manipulation consistent with Russian influence tactics.
According to an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), analysts worked diligently over the weekend to examine the media content and identified several indicators of manipulation. Some of the fake posts on X received hundreds of thousands of views and were further amplified by right-wing personalities, drawing parallels to the infamous 'Pizzagate' conspiracy theory from 2016.
This latest incident underscores Russia's eleventh-hour attempts to interfere in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, with US intelligence agencies indicating a preference for former President Donald Trump. The intelligence community has been vigilant in exposing foreign influence operations, particularly those targeting Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump, in an effort to mitigate their impact on American voters.
In response to the false claims propagated by Russian operatives, the Harris-Walz campaign expressed concerns about media coverage potentially amplifying these claims. The campaign spokesperson emphasized the importance of addressing the Russian targeting operation without granting additional exposure to debunked falsehoods.
