September 05, 2024 08:40 GMT
Putin Claims He Will Support Harris Amid US Crackdown On Kremlin Media
RUSSIA
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At the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok President Vladimir Putin speaks on the US presidential election. Putin claims that "Our favourite was [Joe] Biden", and that as Biden shifted his support to VP Kamala Harris, "we will do the same". Says that "Trump introduced sanctions and restrictions", while "Maybe Harris will abstain from sanctions". Adds that "We will respect the US people's choice."
- Putin's comments come after joint action from the US Treasury, State, and Justice departments on 4 September that charged and sanctioned executives from Russian state media and put restrictions on outlets linked to the Kremlin. The US accused the Putin gov't of a campaign of disinformation intended to influence the upcoming election.
- White House NSA spox John Kirby said Russia's efforts were aimed at "reducing international support for Ukraine, bolstering pro-Russian policies and interests, and influencing voters here in the US". Kirby: "RT is no longer just a propaganda arm of the Kremlin, It's being used to advance covert Russian influence actions."
- Attorney General Merrick Garland: "We will be relentlessly aggressive in countering and disrupting attempts by Russia and Iran, as well as China or any other foreign malign actor, [to] interfere in our elections and undermine our democracy,"
- Since the 2016 presidential election, there have been accusations that the Kremlin has used disinformation to boost Donald Trump' chances. Reuters: "U.S. intelligence assessments found that Moscow tried to help Trump in 2016, when he defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton, and in 2020 when he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Moscow has denied the allegations."
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