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BFF-08
US-POLITICS-VOTE-RUSSIA-SANCTION
Russia promoting distrust in US vote-by-mail plans
WASHINGTON, Sept 4, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Russia is actively trying to undermine
voters’ faith in the US electoral system and especially in voting by mail
ahead of the November 3 election, according to a Department of Homeland
Security analysis Thursday.
The internal DHS analysis, first reported by ABC News and then other US
media, says that at least since March 2020, “Russian malign influence actors
have been amplifying allegations of election integrity issues in new voting
processes and vote-by-mail programs.”
It says that through media and social networks, the Russians have
encouraged Americans to fear voting fraud, large counting errors and ballot
mishandling by the postal service.
This argument is one that President Donald Trump hammers away at as he
trails in the polls.
Russian media and proxy websites are also promoting the idea that voting by
mail — being pushed mainly to limit the risk of Covid-19 spreading via in-
person voting — is being pressed by officials and policy makers to benefit
specific candidates.
The online meddling activity took place during the party caucuses and
primaries at the beginning of the year, but ramped up as the coronavirus
began to spread and officials began promoting widespread voting by mail.
“We assess that Russia is likely to continue amplifying criticisms of vote-
by-mail and shifting voting processes amidst the Covid-19 pandemic to
undermine public trust in the electoral process,” the unclassified report
said.
As in 2016, the Russians are often amplifying sentiments already present in
US politics.
Trump and many Republicans claim that vote-by-mail is likely to lead to
widespread fraud and questionable vote counts.
“Russia is echoing destructive and false narratives around vote by mail
that President Trump and his enablers, including Attorney General Barr, have
been aggressively promoting,” said House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam
Schiff said in a statement.
Separately, Democratic senators pressed the US Treasury Thursday to place
sanctions “immediately” on Russian organizations and individuals for
interfering in the election, saying intelligence shows Moscow is seeking to
damage Trump rival Joe Biden’s candidacy.
“It is long past time for the administration to send a direct message to
President (Vladimir) Putin: the US will respond immediately and forcefully to
continuing election interference,” said the letter to Mnuchin.
“There is virtually no national security threat more serious than that
posed by those who would undermine confidence in, and the effective operation
of, our democratic elections,” they wrote.
An August 7 statement from the National Counterintelligence and Security
Center said Russia is actively working against Biden’s candidacy, favoring
Trump as it did in 2016.
“Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former vice
president Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia ‘establishment,'” the
statement said.
Since then, however, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe has
refused to provide any more briefings to Congress on election meddling,
saying he would simply send written summaries.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0922 hrs