The United States has charged two employees of a Russian state media company for working to influence the 2024 presidential election.
Money-laundering charges against two employees of Russian state media network RT were filed by the US Department of Justice on Wednesday, local time.
Department officials said the two employees used shell companies and fake personas to pay $US10 million ($14.88 million) to an unnamed Tennessee company to produce online videos aimed at amplifying political divisions in the US.
The US Treasury and State departments also announced actions targeting RT, including the network’s top editor, Margarita Simonovna Simonyan.
US officials said Russia’s goal is to exacerbate internal political divisions in the US and weaken public support for American aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia.
“We will be relentlessly aggressive in countering and disrupting attempts by Russia and Iran, as well as China or any other foreign malign actor to interfere in our elections and undermine our democracy,” US Attorney-General Merrick Garland said ahead of a meeting on US election threats.
The FBI separately sought court permission to seize 32 internet domains it said were part of Russia’s foreign influence effort.
RT responded with ridicule.
“Three things are certain in life: death, taxes and RT’s interference in the US elections,” the media outlet told Reuters.
The media outlet ceased operating in the US after Russia invaded Ukraine.
A Russian politician called the reported accusations “pure rubbish” and said Moscow does not think it matters whether Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris wins the November 5 election.
“The only winner of the US election is the US private military industrial complex,” State Duma Deputy Maria Butina told Reuters.
The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Moscow has repeatedly said it has not meddled in the US election.
The criminal indictment charged the two RT employees, Konstantin Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, with conspiracy to violate US money laundering and foreign agent laws. Both are based in Russia and remain at large.
The Tennessee company produced nearly 2,000 videos on topics like immigration and inflation that have been viewed 16 million times on YouTube since last November, according to the Justice Department.
Reuters
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