US Agencies: Russian Trolls Behind Fake Viral Video of Haitians Illegally Voting for Kamala Harris in Georgia

Nov 1, 2024, 05:33 PM

US intelligence officials have determined that Russian influence actors, specifically Russian troll farms, are responsible for creating and disseminating fake videos aimed at undermining confidence in the upcoming November 5 presidential election. One viral video, which surfaced on November 1, 2024, falsely depicts individuals claiming to be from Haiti and voting illegally in multiple Georgia counties for Kamala Harris. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has labeled the video as foreign interference and has urged social media platforms, including Elon Musk's X, to remove it. Federal agencies—the FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)—have issued a joint statement attributing the video to Russian actors. Officials also reported another fake video falsely accusing a Harris campaign associate of accepting a bribe from a U.S. entertainer. These efforts by Russian troll farms aim to sow discord and chaos, undermining confidence in U.S. democratic institutions and election infrastructure. The agencies warned that such disinformation campaigns are likely to intensify ahead of the election.