The U.S. intelligence community believes that Russia will direct its propaganda efforts to support former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in the election, according to a Foreign Malign Influence Center official. This indicates that Russia still prefers Trump as a candidate, even after Joe Biden dropped out and Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee. The center, which is under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, is focused on countering foreign propaganda campaigns. Russian president Vladimir Putin was previously found to have authorized a propaganda operation to denigrate Biden and support Trump in the 2020 election.
The intelligence director’s office stated that Russia remains the primary foreign threat to U.S. elections and is focused on opposing candidates who want to offer further aid to Ukraine. Harris has a history of supporting aid to Ukraine, whereas Trump has not pledged major aid to the country. Russia’s online propaganda efforts involve third-party companies posing as marketing firms to spread fake news websites and social media accounts. Some believe that the U.S. government may be overstating the threat of foreign propaganda without specific details about the threats. Overall, the U.S. intelligence community is closely monitoring Russia’s propaganda efforts in relation to the U.S. election and is taking steps to counteract them.
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