| 'DOPPELGANGER,' UNMASKED: In what the Justice Department says was a massive, multimillion-dollar scheme to influence this year's presidential election, federal prosecutors allege employees of Russian-state media network RT, of funneling nearly $10 million to a Tennessee shell company to dupe unwitting internet influencers to make posts touting the Kremlin line. The illegal influence campaign, dubbed Doppelganger, violated numerous U.S. laws against money laundering and trademark infringement, as well as the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which carries a five-year prison term. In what it described as the beginning of an ongoing investigation, the Justice Department announced it had seized 32 so-called "cybersquatted" internet domains. "These websites were designed to appear to American readers as if they were major U.S. news sites, like the Washington Post or Fox News. But, in fact, they were fake sites," Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a news conference yesterday. "They were filled with Russian government propaganda that had been created by the Kremlin to reduce international support for Ukraine, bolster pro-Russian policies and interests, and influence voters in the United States and in other countries." "An internal planning document created by the Kremlin states that a goal of the campaign is securing Russia's preferred outcome in the election," Garland said, without specifying that former President Donald Trump is believed to be Russian President Vladimir Putin's preferred candidate because of his stated position pressuring Ukraine to make a peace deal on Putin's terms. DOJ ACCUSES RUSSIA OF USING STATE MEDIA TO INFLUENCE US ELECTIONS DIRECT LINE TO 'PUTIN'S INNER CIRCLE': "As alleged in our court filings, President Vladimir Putin's inner circle, including former Prime Minister Sergei Kiriyenko, directed Russian public relations companies to promote disinformation and state-sponsored narratives," Garland said. "At Putin's direction, Russian companies SDA, Structura, and ANO Dialog used cybersquatting, fabricated influencers, and fake profiles to covertly promote AI-generated false narratives on social media. Those narratives targeted specific American demographics and regions in a calculated effort to subvert our election," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. The FBI says the disinformation campaign used "cutting-edge AI" to make false narratives appear believable. "Companies operating at the direction of the Russian government created websites to trick Americans into unwittingly consuming Russian propaganda," said FBI Director Christopher Wray. "By seizing these websites, the FBI is making clear to the world what they are: Russian attempts to interfere in our elections and influence our society." "Internal documents of the Kremlin describe the content as, quote, 'bogus stories disguised as newsworthy events,'" Garland said. "The Russian public relations companies drove viewers to these websites by deploying influencers and paid social media advertisements. They also created fake social media profiles, posing as U.S. citizens, posted comments on social media platforms with links to the sites." Among the conservative influencers who didn't know they were being paid by Russia, according to the Associated Press, were well-known personalities Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, and Benny Johnson — all paid to produce English-language videos that were "often consistent" with the Kremlin's interests. CREATION OF A 'SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS NETWORK': Russian documents submitted as evidence to support the indictment describe a Russian concept of creating a Social Media Influencers Network to boost the fortunes of one of the major political parties which is "currently promoting a relatively pro-Russian agenda," referred to in redacted version of the document as "U.S. Political Party A." While not identifying Political Party A as the Republicans, elsewhere, it refers to Political Party B as the party "in power." "Over at least the past year, RT and its employees … deployed nearly $10 million to covertly finance and direct a Tennessee-based online content creation company," which the Justice Department called "U.S. Company-1." "Company-1 has posted nearly 2,000 videos that have garnered more than 16 million views on YouTube alone. Many of the videos posted by U.S. Company-1 contain commentary on events and issues in the U.S., such as immigration, inflation, and other topics related to domestic and foreign policy," the Justice Department said in a press release. "While the views expressed in the videos are not uniform, most are directed to the publicly stated goals of the government of Russia and RT — to amplify domestic divisions in the United States." The indictment charges two Russian nationals Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act. TWO RUSSIANS INDICTED AND INTERNET DOMAINS SEIZED IN DOJ ELECTION INTERFERENCE INQUIRY Good Thursday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre's Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn't work, shoot us an email and we'll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE RUSSIA FAVORS TRUMP, IRAN PREFERS HARRIS: At the White House, John Kirby, national security communications adviser, noted that Russia is not the only country attempting to interfere with the election. "As you may recall, just last month, the United States government disclosed that Iran engaged in a series of cyber actions with the intent to gain access to the private communications of former President Trump in his campaign by way of associated political advisers," Kirby said at yesterday's White House briefing. "Those efforts were clearly intended to denigrate former President Trump and to compromise his political campaign. We made it clear then and we make it clear again today that this is unacceptable and we won't stand for it either," Kirby said. HAPPENING TODAY: The Biden administration is reportedly developing a new ceasefire proposal that it hopes can break the deadlock, preventing a deal that would end the fighting in Gaza and secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, including four American hostages believed to still be alive. The deal is stalled over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence that Israel must maintain control of Gaza's border with Egypt, known as the Philadelphi corridor, which Israel seized in May. "I'm telling you that if we relieve the pressure, if we get out of the Philadelphi corridor, we're not going to get the hostages back. Certainly, we're going to condemn a lot of them to stay there. We could get a few out. They'll give us that, but they'll leave a lot with them. We won't have the pressure point, and something else will happen," a defiant Netanyahu said yesterday. "I don't stand in judgment of these tormented souls because they're undergoing an agony that is hard to — hard to fathom, and I understand that," Netanyahu said of the family members of hostages who are demanding Netanyahu take the deal on the table. "But the responsibility of leaders is not merely to share the sentiment, the emotion, but also to exercise judgment, the correct judgment to make sure that these horrors do not happen again. I believe that our strategy is the best way to achieve both goals." "People said, yes, but if you stay, this will kill the deal. And I say such a deal will kill us, and there won't be a deal that way. This is a false narrative. I'm willing to make a deal," he said. "The real obstacle to making a deal is not Israel, and it's not me. It's Hamas. It's Sinwar." NETANYAHU REPORTEDLY CHANGED CEASEFIRE TERMS IN RECENT MONTHS WHITE HOUSE: 'PHILADELPHI CORRIDOR' NOT CITED IN THE DEAL: In a background briefing for reporters yesterday, a senior administration official said that 90% of the ceasefire deal had been agreed upon by both sides, and the hang-up over the Philadelphi Corridor is due to the language of the agreement being left deliberately ambiguous. "Nothing in the agreement mentions the Philadelphi Corridor. What the agreement says is they withdraw from all densely populated areas," the official said. "And a dispute emerged whether the Philadelphi Corridor, which is effectively a road on the border of Gaza and Egypt, is a densely populated area." "Based on that dispute, the Israelis, over the last couple weeks, produced a proposal by which they would significantly reduce their presence on the corridor,” said the official, who called it a "significant reduction," which is "technically consistent with the deal." ZELENSKY EXPECTED TO MAKE PERSONAL PLEA: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is planning to make the trip to the Ramstein Air Base in Germany tomorrow to personally push the case for U.S. permission to use long-range weapons to strike Russian launch sites, which are being used to bomb Ukrainian cities with impunity. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. are hosting the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a group of about 50 nations that have been supplying Ukraine with arms and ammunition since the beginning of the war. "We are preparing important meetings with our partners. Something that can and should strengthen our positions — not only of Ukraine, but of all of us in Europe, of all of us in the world who want a real end to this war," Zelensky said in his nightly video address. "This week, next week, and all of September must be productive for all of us. Primarily, this is about air defense, our capabilities on the front, and in reconstruction. We are preparing substantial things." OPINION: IS THE EU-US RELATIONSHIP SALVAGEABLE? THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: DOJ accuses Russia of using state media to influence US elections Washington Examiner: Two Russians indicted and internet domains seized in DOJ election interference inquiry Washington Examiner: Here’s what Linda Sun received for alleged actions as Chinese foreign agent Washington Examiner: Netanyahu reportedly changed ceasefire terms in recent months Washington Examiner: US Navy sailor detained in Venezuela Washington Examiner: The Navy risks sailors with port calls in Turkey Washington Examiner: Texas records reveal state spent $221 million busing migrants from border Washington Examiner: Biden administration reportedly to block US Steel sale Washington Examiner: Opinion: Is the EU-US relationship salvageable? Reuters: US Negotiators Racing to Present New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal, Sources Say Defense One: Congress will Land on $833B Defense Budget—and a CR of Unknown Length, Top HASC Lawmaker Says The War Zone: Thermite-Spewing 'Dragon' Drones Are Ukraine's Newest Battlefield Innovation New York Times: Short Notice and Blocked Exits Proved Lethal in Strike in Ukraine Military.com: Military Obesity Policies Need to Catch Up with Science, Look at New Weight Loss Drugs, Think Tank Says Washington Post: FBI was tipped off about Ga. school shooting suspect a year ago, agency says Air & Space Forces Magazine: USAF Rethinks Whether It Needs a Manned 6th-Gen Fighter for Air Superiority Air & Space Forces Magazine: New F-16 Electronic Warfare System 'on Par with Fifth-Gen' Enters Flight Test Breaking Defense: Northrop Grumman, L3Harris Lock Horns for Polish F-16 EW Package National Security Journal: Why Poland Wants the F-15EX Fighter National Security Journal: Turkey Keeps Dreaming About the F-35 Fighter National Security Journal: B-1B Lancer Bombers are Returning After Being Retired to the 'Boneyard' SpaceNews: Space Force Defends Plan to Buy Smaller, Cheaper Satellites to Reinforce GPS Air & Space Forces Magazine: Guetlein: Space Force Moving to Counter New Adversary Kill Webs Defense News: Space Force to Field Sensors for Tracking Air, Ground targets in 2030s Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Standing Up New Wing For 'Doomsday' Command and Control Task & Purpose: The Air Force Simulated a Mass Casualty Evacuation on a Pacific Island Air & Space Forces Magazine: US Air Force F-35s Touch Down on a Highway in Finland for 'Historic' Landing The Cipher Brief: Russia's Poltava Attack is a Double Disaster for Ukraine National Security Journal: The Next Administration Can Preserve Venezuela's Democracy And Help Solve The Immigration Crisis Washington Post: Opinion: Adm. Mike Mullen: Politics has no place at Arlington's Section 60 THE CALENDAR: THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 5 8:30 a.m. 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies Korea Studies and the KDI School of Public Policy and Management conference: “U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) Relations" https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events 9:55 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Billington CyberSecurity Summit with Gen. Charles Q. Brown, chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh, commander, U.S. Cyber Command, and director, National Security Agency https://billingtoncybersummit.com 12 p.m. — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs discussion: “Leadership in National Security,” with Aaron Jay, director, Cooperative Threat Reduction Policy Office, Department of Defense https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/leadership-in-national-security FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 6 4 a.m. Ramstein Air Base, Germany — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. host an in-person meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events 5 p.m. Orange, California — House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific "Global Ties, Local Impact: Why Taiwan Matters for California," with Lanhee Chen, American Public Policy Studies, Hoover Institution: Danny Chen, founder, Green Maple Law Group: and Harry Lin, founder, Harry C. Lin, CPA A Professional Corporation https://www.youtube.com/live MONDAY | SEPTEMBER 9 4:30 p.m. House Triangle — Press conference on Rollout of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Afghanistan Report, with Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 11 11 a.m. — Brookings Foreign Policy Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors virtual discussion: "Afghanistan under the Taliban: Power dynamics, regional relations, and U.S. policy," with Tamim Asey, senior fellow, King's College London; Tricia Bacon, associate professor, Department of Justice, Law and Criminology, American University; Orzala Nemat, founder and director, Development Research Group LTD; Ron Neumann, president, American Academy of Diplomacy; and Vanda Felbab-Brown, senior fellow and director, Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors, Brookings https://connect.brookings.edu/register-to-watch THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 1910 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW— Center for Strategic and International Studies International Security Program and the U.S. Naval Institute for a Maritime Security Dialogue in-peron and virtual discussion: "America's Warfighting Navy," with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti; Seth Jones, CSIS senior vice president and ISP director; and retired Navy Capt. Bill Hamblet, editor-in-chief, Proceedings, U.S. Naval Institute https://www.csis.org/events/americas-warfighting-navy | | | | "The American people were entitled to know when a foreign power is attempting to exploit our country's free exchange of ideas in order to send around its own propaganda." | | Attorney General Merrick Garland, announcing ongoing investigation of Russia's efforts to influence the 2024 election with bogus influences and fake news sites. |
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