My colleague Ward Clark reported on Tuesday about the Biden administration’s plans to resurrect Russia, Russia—Russia! as a reason why the 2024 election will be compromised. Is anyone surprised that they are hedging their bets so early? Vice President and selected Democrat nominee Kamala Harris received no bounce in the polls after the Democrat National Convention psyop fest, and polls have hovered between margin-of-error stagnant and leaning in favor of Trump. As the Democrats stage the shenanigans, it appears they’re also making efforts to cover their hindquarters.
Advertisement
In a very similar uninformed, paranoid reaction, the Biden administration is once more accusing Tsar Vladimir I’s Russia of implanting booger-men in the United States’ 2024 elections in the form of “disinformation.”
These people really are becoming tiresome.
The Biden administration on Wednesday plans to accuse Russia of a sustained effort to influence the 2024 US presidential election by using Kremlin-run media and other online platforms to target US voters with disinformation, six sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
It’s expected the US will make a series of moves on Wednesday aimed at addressing the Kremlin’s efforts including the White House publicly condemning the actions and the Justice Department announcing law enforcement action targeting the covert Russian campaign, the sources said.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland opened up the “Election Threats Task Force” meeting with information on the actions the Department of Justice is taking to combat this interference by the Ruskies.
An indictment charging Russian nationals Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31, also known as Kostya, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, also known as Lena, with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and conspiracy to commit money laundering was unsealed today in the Southern District of New York. Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva are at large.
“The Justice Department has charged two employees of RT, a Russian state-controlled media outlet, in a $10 million scheme to create and distribute content to U.S. audiences with hidden Russian government messaging,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to exploit our country’s free exchange of ideas in order to covertly further its own propaganda efforts, and our investigation into this matter remains ongoing.”
Advertisement
Oh, we know. If Donald Trump wins, it will go on for another four years. Garland also discussed the seizing of internet domains registered to the Russian government intended to be used for a “covert campaign to interfere and influence the outcome of our country’s elections.” Garland read from internal planning documents obtained from the Kremlin and referred to the attempts to influence people’s views on the war with Ukraine and the 2024 election influence campaign as “doppelganger.”
Both of the schemes I’ve just discussed make clear the ends to which the Russian government, including at its highest levels, is willing to go to undermine our democratic process. The enforcement actions that I have mentioned also makes clear that The Justice Department will aggressively counter such efforts.
Garland affirmed that the same is true with the entirety of the United States government. The State Department, along with the Treasury and the DOJ, are mounting “parallel actions in both of these matters.” Garland also mentioned the increasingly aggressive Iranian activity to compromise former President and GOP nominee Donald Trump’s campaign.
The Justice department’s message is clear: We have no tolerance for attempts by authoritarian regimes to exploit our democratic system of government. We will be relentlessly aggressive in countering and disrupting attempts by Russia and Iran, as well as China or any other foreign-aligned actor to interfere in our elections and undermine our democracy.
Advertisement
Garland then turned his attention to the domestic enemies that the Department of Justice deemed are attempting to interfere with our “democracy,” particularly with threats to election officials.
Just as we are dedicated to combatting foreign threats to our elections, we are equally dedicated to confront domestic threats against the public servants who administer our elections.
Oh, boy, here we go. Garland alleged that “Since the 2020 election, we have seen an unprecedented spike in threats against the public servants who do administer our elections.”
Garland then rattled off a succession of recorded threats to election officials across the country.
In New Mexico, county commissioners and other elected officials were targeted with a series of shootings that the Department has alleged in court papers were organized by an unsuccessful candidate for the state legislature who claimed that the election had been “rigged” against him. At least three of the shootings occurred while the intended victims or their children or their family members were at home.
In February, two shooters who we allege were recruited by the candidate pled guilty to carrying out the attacks. In March, the candidate himself was charged in a 13-count superseding indictment.
In Arizona, a man sent a state election official a bomb threat warning that if she did not resign within two days, “the explosive device impacted in her personal space will be detonated.” In March, the man was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for making the threat.
In Maricopa County, Arizona, an elections official, a county attorney, and their families were threatened by a defendant who called for “a mass shooting of poll workers and election officials” in precincts he believed had “suspect” results. His revolting comments included: “dead children burn into the memories of people.”
Advertisement
Garland then highlighted the DOJ’s successful enforcement actions against these threats.
And the elections official who was targeted said in a victim impact statement that:
“While I am the person directly threatened [in] this case, the impact of such threats is felt by a much larger community: the thousands of committed election workers who operate our democratic processes. When threats are made against any election workers, the impact reverberates [through] the [whole] community.”
That defendant was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
In recent months, our enforcement actions have continued.
In July, we secured the guilty plea of an Alabama man who repeatedly threatened to kill Maricopa County election workers and officials. In one particularly chilling message, he said: “You better not come in my church, my business or send your kids to my school. You are […] stupid if you think [your lives] are safe.” His sentencing is scheduled for next month.
Also in July, the Justice Department secured a 14-month sentence for a man who sent a death threat to a Michigan election worker. In a voicemail, he said: “Ten million plus patriots will surround you when you least expect it.” And he added, “We’ll […] kill you.”
Less than two weeks ago, we charged and arrested a Colorado man for allegedly threatening the lives of election officials, judges, and law enforcement officials in both Colorado and Arizona.
Advertisement
Yet, the 2020 rioters who burned Minneapolis and other cities, the J6 pipe bomber, and the individuals and organizations that have attacked and defaced over 400 pro-life resource centers and churches are still ongoing investigations. It’s amazing how much fire in the belly Garland has for election interference, but little smoke for Americans who have lost life, home, and property and those assisting mothers and advocating for unborn babies.
As I have said before, and I will reiterate to you today. These cases are a warning. If you threaten to harm or kill an election worker or an official or a volunteer, the justice department will find you and we will hold you accountable.
The public servants who administer our elections must be able to do their jobs without fearing for their lives. That is why this task force has been marshalling the full resources of the Justice Department to aggressively investigate and prosecute threats targeting election workers, officials, and volunteers, and we will continue to do so in the months ahead when the task force will build on the partnerships with state and local election officials and law enforcement officials tasked with protecting them.
Garland literally formed his mouth to say, “The Justice Department will continue to relentlessly protect the rights of all Americans to peacefully express their opinions, beliefs, and ideas.”
The J6 Prisoners would like a word.
Advertisement
Protecting our democracy and protecting our elections was a founding purpose when The Justice Department was established in 1870. The department answered that charge then, and we will answer that charge today, as we confront those who would use violence or threats of violence to attack those who would administer our elections.
Countless Americans were enduring terrible threats, simply for doing their civic duty. And we did so because threats to election workers constitute threats to our democracy itself.
Feeling the chill yet? You’re meant to. It is also curious that Garland failed to mention the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life. If anything constitutes election interference, that sure as heck does.