Russia is Trump, Iran is Harris?..."Presidential Election Manipulation Intensifies"

ODNI Report
"Some Americans Participate in Spreading Fake News on SNS"

As the U.S. presidential election approaches, U.S. intelligence agencies have analyzed that Russia, China, and Iran are conducting operations and propaganda tactics to advance their own interests. In particular, foreign media attention has been drawn to the fact that Russia and Iran support different presidential candidates.

On the 29th (local time), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released a report stating, "With the election 100 days away, various foreign operations and propaganda tactics aimed at undermining American democratic institutions, sowing division, and manipulating public opinion to suit their interests have been identified," naming Russia, China, and Iran as primary concerns. The report also noted that some U.S. citizens either intentionally participate in these countries' propaganda activities or are unaware that they are being exploited.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Russia was identified as the greatest threat. The ODNI explained, "Russian agents have established human networks in the U.S. and other Western countries to create and spread narratives favorable to Russia," adding, "They support specific presidential candidates and influence the U.S. election results by undermining public trust in the electoral process." Bloomberg News reported that an intelligence official who briefed reporters anonymously did not name the "specific candidate," but confirmed that Russia is attempting to assist the Republican candidate, former President Trump, while Iran is trying to prevent this. Previously, U.S. intelligence agencies had detected signs of Russian support for former President Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.

AP News pointed out, "Russian fake news organizations quickly spread claims that Democratic investigations following the assassination attempt on Trump led to the shooting incident," and "even disseminated baseless conspiracy theories alleging that Biden or the Ukrainian government organized the assassination attempt." The Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council, a U.S. think tank, added that these organizations tried to link the assassination attempt on Trump with the Russia-Ukraine war.

On the other hand, Iran’s objective appears to be to remove former President Trump from power. An intelligence official stated, "We have confirmed Iran’s efforts to prevent the Republican candidate from winning," explaining, "Iranian leaders want to avoid escalating tensions with the U.S." This is interpreted as a backlash against Trump’s 2020 withdrawal from the international nuclear agreement, which had included sanctions relief for Iran, and the killing of the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Earlier this month, ODNI Director Avril Haines reported that the Iranian government covertly supported anti-Israel-Hamas protests in the U.S.

However, China is assessed to be taking a cautious approach regarding propaganda tactics related to the U.S. presidential election. While the ODNI warned of China’s potential use of social media to sow division and undermine democratic values in the U.S., it emphasized that China is not actively trying to influence the outcome of this election. Nevertheless, it warned that China might intervene in some lower-level elections deemed to threaten its core interests.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.