Kremlin to Back Trump Over Harris in U.S. Election, Intelligence Official Suggests

US intel states Kremlin favors Trump over Harris, using propaganda. Russia aims to end US aid to Ukraine, against Harris's support. Concerns raised about impact of Russian propaganda.

The U.S. intelligence community anticipates a shift in Russian propaganda, favoring former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election. The insights were shared during a media call on Monday by an intelligence official. The Foreign Malign Influence Center hosted the call, a key player in the U.S. government's efforts to combat foreign propaganda.

Position of the Foreign Malign Influence Center

The official's statements strongly suggest that the U.S. assesses Trump as Russia's favored candidate, despite President Joe Biden stepping back from the race and Harris emerging as the presumptive Democratic nominee.

The spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry declined to comment on the matter. The Foreign Malign Influence Center operates under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which serves as the primary hub for information collected by U.S. intelligence services.

Russian Interference Strategies

The intelligence director’s office previously reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sanctioned an extensive propaganda campaign aimed at "denigrating President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party" while "supporting former President Trump" during the 2020 election. The shift from cyber operations in 2016 to propaganda in 2020 was a notable finding of the report. Despite not explicitly naming individuals such as Trump or Harris, the agency reiterated Russia's status as the primary foreign threat to U.S. elections, with consistent candidate preferences.

The intelligence director’s office conveyed the likelihood of Russia continuing to throw its support behind Trump, even with Harris in the race. They suggested that Moscow perceived Harris as a continuation of Biden's administration, indicating that substantial changes in their approach were improbable. The agency's public alert emphasized Russia's significant threat to U.S. elections and its efforts to cultivate and deploy networks of U.S. and other Western figures to propagate pro-Russian narratives. The focal point of the Kremlin's election agenda revolved around terminating U.S. aid to Ukraine, a contentious issue where the stances of the Trump and Harris tickets significantly differ.

Russian Interest in Ukraine Issue

The officials highlighted Russia's vested interest in opposing candidates advocating for increased aid to Kyiv and emphasized that this interest would persist. While specific details were not extensively shared during the call, it was noted that a substantial portion of the information stemmed from classified sources. Furthermore, the U.S.'s substantial support for Ukraine, particularly in the aftermath of Russia's 2022 invasion, was underscored. As the most significant contributor of aid to Ukraine, the U.S. has been pivotal in providing substantial military assistance to the country. Vice President Harris' active engagement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Biden administration's substantial military aid to Ukraine were highlighted, with an estimated $53.7 billion being provided.

On the contrary, it was highlighted that Trump had not committed to continuing substantial aid to Ukraine, with some of his associates proposing a peace plan that encompassed notable concessions from the country. This contrasted with the position of Trump's running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, who had expressed skepticism towards U.S. military aid to allies, including Ukraine. The involvement of third-party companies posing as marketing firms in proliferating Russian online propaganda was also addressed.

The officials cited the Treasury Department's sanctioning of two such companies, which were accused of operating numerous fictitious news websites targeting Western audiences and deploying scores of fraudulent social media accounts to promote them. While the extent of their impact and influence on public opinion remains unclear, platforms like Meta have taken measures to dismantle these networks.

Although the U.S. government has been vocal about the threat of foreign propaganda, some critics have expressed concerns about the potentially exaggerated portrayal of the threat. Gavin Wilde, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, cautioned against creating an overarching sense of apprehension about foreign interference without specific and substantiated information. As the U.S. prepares for the upcoming election, the evolving landscape of foreign influence and propaganda remains a significant area of concern and vigilance for the intelligence community and relevant government bodies.

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