Staff Reports
The Biden administration is once again blaming bad actors overseas for problems at home—specifically accusing Russia of orchestrating a wide-ranging and sophisticated campaign to meddle in American politics through misinformation. Attorney General Merrick Garland has claimed that this operation reaches all the way to the Kremlin, involving none other than Vladimir Putin’s top advisors. Apparently, the Russians are pulling the strings to sway votes, undermine support for Ukraine, and lay the groundwork for a pro-Russian shift in the upcoming 2024 elections—all while Americans scroll through their feeds like unsuspecting digital sheep.
According to the Justice Department, this grand Russian plot included setting up fake websites that mimic actual American news sources, a devious tactic that makes one wonder how the Biden administration missed the memo that these sites should’ve been called “the leftist echo chamber.” Russian operatives are said to have engaged in targeted advertising on social media, coupled with “bot networks” to gauge reactions. It’s the social media marketing nightmare every parent warned their children about—except this time, the parents are outraged bureaucrats, and the unsuspecting influencers are social media users with a few too many followers.
HERE WE GO: Biden-Harris Regime Launch “Whole of Government Action” to Purge ‘Russian Propaganda’ and ‘Disinformation’ Ahead of 2024 Election
Translation: If you oppose exploding the world into a #NuclearWar with #Russia then you are a Russian propagandist spreading… pic.twitter.com/km6htARb0V
— judy morris (@judymorris3) September 4, 2024
Meanwhile, prosecutors have swung the legal hammer down hard, seizing domains and dealing charges to two media executives linked to RT, the Russia Today outlet that mysteriously found its way back into American discourse through the backdoor of an intermediary firm—a firm nobody seems willing to name, probably out of fear of a sudden “accidental” visit from the FBI. Those charged allegedly poured $10 million into social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to unleash propaganda, generating a staggering 16 million views on YouTube. Yet RT’s involvement was kept under wraps—classic case of “don’t ask, don’t tell” taken to a whole new level.
In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t just about two hapless media operatives caught in the crossfire of international intrigue. It reflects a more insidious effort by the Russians to reshape American public opinion during our already-divisive political landscape. The FBI claims that Russian operatives even impersonated thoroughbred American news outlets like Fox News, creating websites that looked the part while pushing fake narratives. One such website went so far as to adopt the alias of the Washington Post, cleverly disguising propaganda as legitimate journalism. If copying homework were a crime, these guys would be serving life sentences in a Russian gulag.
The Biden administration’s response? A cool $10 million bounty for tips on this so-called Russian operation, humorously dubbed RaHDit, or Russian Angry Hackers Did It. While the Treasury Department freezes assets linked to the operation, it appears the administration is casting a wide net amidst growing frustration regarding foreign interference. But for all the chatter about foreign meddling, one wonders if the real culprit is right under their noses: a lack of accountability and honest dialogue amongst the players in our own political arena.
With a tragicomic echo of the famous cliché, it seems there are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Russia’s interference in U.S. politics. While the FBI and the Biden administration busy themselves with allegations, one can’t help but think: maybe the Russians are merely capitalizing on a political environment that’s doing a great job of creating its own chaos. As misinformation bounces between platforms and social media influencers become simultaneous pawns and players in this political game, America may soon find itself asking, “Who needs actual meddling when we’ve got such a self-inflicted circus on our hands?”
