Two US Democratic lawmakers accused Russia of launching a secret online influence campaign targeting the American public, aiming to weaken the chances of pro-Ukraine candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties ahead of the midterm elections.
The newspaper "Politico" reported on Thursday that Mark Warner, Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Jim Himes, a prominent member of the House Intelligence Committee, stated that information about this campaign was received in a classified report sent by US intelligence agencies to their offices earlier this week.
Disinformation and Artificial Intelligence
Himes said that Russian activities aim to incite chaos and unrest through disinformation campaigns covering multiple topics, including undermining trust in US institutions and questioning the integrity of voting systems. For his part, Warner noted that the report mentions Moscow using artificial intelligence tools to accelerate the spread of disinformation and target Americans more effectively.
The lawmakers did not name the targeted candidates, but they suggested the campaign would include political figures from both parties who support Ukraine, while confirming that US intelligence agencies had not detected evidence of Russian attempts to hack electoral infrastructure or political campaign networks.
Fake videos target a Texas candidate
In a related development, "Graphika," a company specializing in information operations analysis, revealed a campaign linked to the "Storm-1516" group associated with Russia, which has been publishing content since 2023 to influence public opinion. The company stated that the group created and published deepfake videos on the "X" platform accusing Texas Senate candidate James Tallarico of sexual assault.
Last week, the "X" platform announced the removal of more than 13,000 accounts linked to disinformation campaigns from Russia, Iran, and China, stating they targeted candidates and public figures from various political backgrounds.
Disagreements over handling threats
These accusations come amid ongoing US disputes regarding foreign interference in elections, as Washington previously accused Moscow of interfering in the 2016 elections through hacking and influence campaigns targeting the Democratic Party and then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. In response, a spokesperson for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford criticized Warner and Himes' statements, accusing them of cherry-picking information from the classified report and leaking it to the media, while warning of the repercussions on trust between lawmakers and intelligence agencies.
The lawmakers noted that the report also addressed Chinese and Iranian influence attempts, while Himes announced that the House Intelligence Committee would hold a new classified briefing session next week regarding threats facing US elections. It is worth noting that US President Donald Trump announced on July 17 that China and hostile countries attempted to tamper with the US electoral system, clarifying that "intelligence information confirms Russia and China's ability to hack US electoral data," and calling on Congress to pass legislation mandating voter identity verification.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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