U.S. intelligence officials have revealed that Russia is behind a fake video that spreads false sexual abuse allegations against Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz, as part of an election interference effort favoring Donald Trump and is expected to continue after the November 5th election. The video, containing baseless allegations, was fabricated and promoted online and on social media by Kremlin operatives. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) confirmed that Russian actors were responsible for creating and amplifying the content. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have been warning the public about such interference efforts. Russia is considered the most aggressive foreign government in meddling with the election, followed by Iran. The ODNI released a memo detailing intelligence on these efforts, including the spread of false information to undermine American confidence in the democratic system. Both Iran and Russia are expected to increase their influence operations after the election, possibly inciting violence or amplifying false information to worsen post-election tensions. The briefing also mentioned that Iran had previously created a website containing death threats against U.S. election officials after the last presidential election. The aim of these foreign interference efforts is to weaken the legitimacy of U.S. democracy and prevent effective policy-making that could go against their interests.
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