As Joe Biden’s poll numbers decline, anonymous intelligence officials are reviving the long-discredited Russian hoax.
NBC News, having been among the media outlets criticized during the Mueller investigation, now reports unnamed officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) alleging that the Kremlin is planning an “information warfare” campaign to support Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
According to the report:
Russia’s efforts to influence this year’s U.S. election through information warfare have the same aim as in previous elections — to undermine President Joe Biden’s campaign and the Democratic Party and weaken public confidence in the electoral process, intelligence officials said Tuesday.
Russia’s election influence operations, which include covert social media accounts and encrypted direct messaging channels, are targeting key voter groups in swing states to exploit political divisions in the U.S. and erode support for Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion, officials with the Office of the Director National Intelligence, or ODNI, told reporters.
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Asked whether Russia’s information campaign is trying to boost or undermine one of the presidential candidates, an ODNI official said: “We have not observed a shift in Russia’s preferences for the presidential race from past elections, given the role the U.S. is playing with regard to Ukraine and broader policy toward Russia.”
Former U.S. intelligence officials and regional analysts say the Kremlin has long viewed Trump as more sympathetic to Russia, citing his frequently expressed skepticism toward the NATO alliance, his reluctance to criticize Putin and his critical portrayal of Ukraine’s government.
The NBC report did not offer concrete evidence of these Russian operations, nor did it show any indication that they are significantly influencing voters’ intentions.
While Russia may have used covert methods of information warfare in previous elections, there has never been compelling evidence that their actions decisively influenced election outcomes.
Earlier this year, when asked about his preference between Trump and Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed a preference for the latter.
“Biden, he’s more experienced, more predictable, he’s a politician of the old formation,” Putin said at the time. “But we will work with any U.S. leader whom the American people trust.”
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