By Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States plans to accuse Russia on Wednesday of a campaign to influence the 2024 elections using online platforms to target American voters with disinformation, CNN reported, citing six sources familiar with the matter.
Russian state media network RT will be a focus of the announcement, CNN reported.
The news comes just hours before Attorney General Merrick Garland is due to make public remarks at a meeting of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force.
He will be joined by FBI Director Chris Wray, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, and Matt Olsen, the Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment ahead of the election task force meeting.
The Justice Department has previously warned that Russia remains a threat to the Nov. 5 presidential election.
In a speech last month, Monaco warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin “and his proxies are using increasingly sophisticated techniques in their interference operations.”
“They’re targeting specific voter demographics and swing-state voters in an effort to manipulate presidential and congressional election outcomes,” she said.
“They’re intent on co-opting unwitting Americans on social media to push narratives advancing Russian interests. They’re working to diminish American support for Ukraine. And they’re always adapting.”
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; additional reporting by Katharine Jackson and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Deepa Babington)
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